Abang Johari speaking at the ceremony. – Photo by Penerangan
KUCHING (Oct 26): Artificial reef balls can help fishermen throughout the state to increase their income, said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said among the benefits of reef balls are that fishes can breed and marine plants can grow and thus producing food for the sea.
“That is why we gave an allocation of RM70 million. The result can be seen in Belawai and Mukah where fishermen’s income have increased from RM100 per day to RM300 per day,” he said at the launching ceremony to deploy 1,100 artificial reef balls in Sampadi-Tanjung Datu waters in Sematan Monday.
Abang Johari noted that the project also created the longest artificial reef in the world with a length of some 1,000 kilometres from Tanjung Datu to Lawas, which could be a tourist draw as well.
The allocation of RM70 million under the ‘Projek Rakyat’ aims to plant 16,800 artificial reefs in the coastal waters of Sarawak from 2018 to 2021.
The chief minister also noted that as Sematan and Lundu are near to Kuching, fishing enthusiasts from both within the state and outside would be able to go for sport fishing.
“With our beautiful nature, near the sea and mountains, people will come especially those into sport fishing.
“The future of Lundu, Sematan and Telok Melano is very bright from the perspective of tourism,” he said.
Abang Johari stressed the importance of taking care of the environment as with clean environment, the world would look at Sarawak.
“This is the approach of the state government (with the reef ball project). First we take care of the environment, then take care of the habitat.
“We use new technology to make the reef balls. These are properly researched and measured,” he said.
Abang Johari said it is the state government’s long-term plan for the area, as he aims to continue the late chief minister Pehin Sri Adenan Satem (Tok Nan)’s legacy for the area.
“Fishermen’s income will increase, tourism will increase. We will continue to develop this area,” he added.
Earlier, Tanjung Datu assemblywoman Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu expressed her hope that the daily catch of the fishermen in the area would increase with the planting of the reef balls.
She also voiced her plan to turn Tanjung Datu into a fisheries hub as well as an eco-tourism spot with many national parks under Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC)’s care.
Following a recent lab session with the SFC, she said there were a few requests for programmes under the 12th Malaysia Plan in order to develop eco-tourism in the area.
“One is a visitors’ information centre in Lundu and Sematan. We have to have this. Eventually this area will become a focus of visitors so we must have a proper one in Lundu and Sematan
“The other is a digital interpretation centre. It is important in Gunung Gading National Park. The third one will be a marine discovery centre for researchers.
“We hope that the state government will consider our some of our requests under the 12th Malaysia Plan,” she said.
Also present were Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Assistant Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datu Len Talif Salleh, SFC deputy chief executive officer I (Management and Conservation) Oswald Braken Tisen, and others.