Ban may be imposed on lobsters weighing below 500 grams to be sold or exported.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Restaurant Fellowship Association president Kapitan Lim Vun Chan yesterday urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry to engage stakeholders in discussions to reach a win-win outcome over the possible ban on the export of crabs in Tawau and Semporna.
Instead of a total ban on crab export, Lim said the ministry could impose on exporters a certain percentage, say 30 per cent of crabs that must be supplied to the local market.
From the perspective of the food and beverage (F&B) sector, he supported the freeze on crab export as it would ensure plentiful supply of crabs for the local market.
However, he said people outside the industry might not know that the crabs in Tawau actually originated from Tarakan, Indonesia.
“Tawau serves as a transshipment location for the export of Indonesian crabs to other places or countries, such as West Malaysia, Singapore and China.
“This is because the distance between Tarakan and Tawau is less compared to exporting crabs directly from Jakarta,” he said, adding that Indonesia banned the export of female crabs.
Lim said people not in the industry might think that the Indonesian crabs were caught locally.
“The relevant ministry should look into the source of crabs.”
He pointed out that the government should have announced new policies to the media after a thorough study and engagement with stakeholders and industry players.
He said locally caught crabs were sufficient to cater for the Sabah market.
Lim said the Indonesian crabs were mostly sold to foreign markets, while the crabs consumed in Kota Kinabalu were caught locally.
Instead of a total ban on crab export, he suggested the government to impose on exporters a certain percentage of crabs that must be supplied to local restaurants.
He reasoned that the local market would not be able to absorb if there happened to be oversupply of crabs anyway, and it would be a waste to dispose the excessive supply.
“If the local supply is not enough, the government can look into increasing the percentage.”
Lim said the government must ensure a win-win solution for all stakeholders before implementing a policy.
Although freezing the export of crabs would benefit the F&B sector, the move was bound to affect exporters in Tawau as their Indonesian counterparts might decide to export through Jakarta directly, he said.
He also urged the government to emulate Indonesia on banning the catch and export of female crabs to increase the population of the crustaceans.
On a related note, Lim supported the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry’s proposal to ban the sale and export of lobsters weighing less than 500 grams.
At the same time, he urged the government to emulate Australia in banning the catch of female lobsters.
“We have requested the previous government to stop the export of lobsters weighing under 500 grams 10 years ago but to no avail.”
He said the supply of lobsters in Sabah could no longer meet the demand years ago and a control mechanism should be in place.
He said lobsters in Sabah were mostly imported from Australia in recent years.
Lim, who operates a banquet hall, said he had imported up to 20 tonnes of lobsters last year.
“I import one tonne to two tonnes of lobsters every month.”
As such, he suggested to the government to ban the sale of small lobsters and only allow bigger lobsters to be sold locally.
“The ban on exporting lobsters weighing under 500 grams will be beneficial to the preservation of lobsters in Sabah.”
He said the Australian government prohibited the catch of female lobsters, and any female lobsters caught must be released back to the sea.
“I suggest our Fisheries Department visit Australia and learn how the country controls the harvest of seafood, including banning the catch of female lobsters.”
Lim also highlighted the need to ban the catch of lobsters during the reproduction season every year.
“I believe our fisheries officers are aware of this information.
“The previous government had orders to ban the export of lobsters in January every year, yet special permits had still been issued.”
Lim said he would have the opportunity to provide more relevant information of these issues if the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Junz Wong was to hold a dialogue with industry players.
Wong has said that the export of crabs in Tawau and Semporna might be frozen and his ministry would make a careful study of a mechanism for a win-win solution as part of preserving Sabah as a seafood paradise for the local people and tourists.
He said crab exports had become a major issue in Tawau due to large quantities being shipped daily to other countries.
Wong has also voiced his determination to enforce a restriction on the catching of wild lobsters, as many irresponsible persons have been catching lobsters of any sizes, with some just finger size that are caught and consumed.
His ministry would also look into banning lobsters weighing below 500 grams to be sold or exported to preserve and ensure a continuous supply of lobsters in Sabah.