FOREIGNERS ON LOCAL BOATS TURN SPIES
Their tip-offs help counterparts avoid arrest
FOREIGNERS working on Malaysian fishing boats are believed to be spying on the movement of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and passing the information to foreign fishing vessels.
MMEA District 10 commander Captain Nurul Nizam Zakaria said they would channel information, such as MMEA’s operations to nab errant foreign fishermen.
“We had detected that foreign fishermen working on local vessels had given information to their friends to ensure they will not be arrested and at the same time, they could sell the catch that they get from our territorial waters to other countries.
“With the latest communication on their hands, they can contact their counterparts directly and tip them off about our operations,” he said.
Nizam said equipped with the latest information, these foreign crew members managed to get away before MMEA officers arrived at the scene.
“This is among the problems that we have been facing.
“Another information that we received is that some foreign fishermen onboard local vessels will switch fresh catch with their foreign counterparts in the high seas and replace them with rotten fish.
“They will bring back the rotten catch to the boat operators, who would naturally be upset when receiving such kind of fish as their prices will be cheap, compared with the ‘nice’ ones,” said Nizam.
He said many boat operators did not realise that they had been cheated by their own crew members.
He said the use of trawl nets by many foreign fishermen in the country’s territorial waters was the main reason for the loss in marine resources, which, in turn, would effect the ecosystem.
He stressed on the cooperation between MMEA District 10 in Tok Bali with the State Fisheries Department and also local fishermen to combat such activities.
“We have organised awareness campaigns and dialogues, and are supporting each other.”
It was reported yesterday that MMEA and the Fisheries Department claimed the massive loss of the nation’s marine resources to foreign fishermen was not their fault and instead, pointed to weaknesses in the industry ecosystem.