Sabah determined in preserving its fishing industry – Junz

KOTA KINABALU: The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry is determined in preserving the state's fishing industry and its shark conservation policies, its minister Junz Wong said.

“My ministry, through The Department of Fisheries Sabah, is fully committed in managing fisheries in Sabah waters and shark conservation/management is no exception,” he said in his keynote address at the Sabah Sharks and Rays Forum 2018 at ShangriLa's Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa yesterday.

“Apart from initiatives and action at the national level, the Department of Fisheries is also actively involved in a number of regional and international projects and initiatives to effectively manage and continuously improve her capacity in many areas, which include among others, data collection on shark landings and training in taxonomy and biology of sharks,” he added.

Junz asserted that there was a need to improve the conservation and management of sharks in Sabah, emphasizing that the state needed to strike a delicate balance between biological, ecological, social and economic objectives.

In this regard, Junz applauded the organizers (namely Leap Spiral, WWF-Malaysia and the Sabah Shark Protection) for organizing the said event as the matter concerned various stakeholders who were committed in developing measures to improve shark conservation.

“In Sabah we also share the global concerns on shark-related issues. In light of this, we also join the global effort in improving conservation and management measures which premise upon the fact that sharks are widely distributed both within waters under national jurisdiction and on the high seas.

“Moreover, we are committed also in subscribing to the importance and significance of international co-operation and co-ordination to achieve the long-term conservation and sustainable use of sharks,” he said.

Junz assured that Malaysia including in the state of Sabah, had been very supportive of the International Plan of Action (IPOASHARKS) developed by FAO which was to be voluntarily implemented by the countries concerned.

“This led to the development of Malaysia's own National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Shark (Plan 1) in 2006 and later the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Shark (Plan 2) which is also implemented in Sabah by Department of Fisheries Sabah,” he explained.

It is understood that the establishment National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Shark is consistent with Malaysia's commitment to adhere to the principles of international fisheries instruments aimed at achieving sustainable fisheries.