Something is fishy
AS a seafood freak, I must protest.
Protest number one: I have been paying for fish more than what I can afford. A tiny Ikan Senangin, probably frozen for ages, cost me RM18 the other day at the Stutong Market.
This is the time of year when fish and other seafood should cost less than normal. Economists say the pricing has something to do with supply and demand. The period from November to February each year – landas in local fishermen’s lingo – is a time of scarcity for fish caught. Many local fishermen stay at home to mend their nets, but it’s quality time to be together with their families.
Whatever the economists say, I say it is fishy.
I have read about tonnes of fish having been caught by foreign fishermen and confiscated by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), and yet there has been nothing about how the fish was disposed of. Were they sold by public auction or how?
I was explaining to my grandson - a fishing enthusiast – about how easy it is to land fish without going out to sea. There is a lot of catching to be made on the open seas –the foreign fishermen catch the fish then the ‘fishing police’ (MMEA) catch the foreign fishermen!
And we have fish in the market. He was puzzled.
He has heard of the traffic police, but the fishing police? Not really.
Apparently, this catching game has been going for years but getting more frequent since 2006, when we began to discover large fleets of fishing vessels around our shoals. Last year, an armada of 100 fishing ships from a foreign country were allegedly picnicking around our Beting Patinggi Ali, off Bintulu.
This year has been a good season for the foreign fishermen – mostly from Vietnam - at our front door. Others come from Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. The result? Expensive fish for local consumers.
Last week, The Borneo Post’s reporter in Miri fished out a report from the MMEA. According to this report, some 70 tonnes of fish of all descriptions, worth a whopping RM500,000, were found in the holds of two foreign Vietnam-registered vessels. For the purpose of fishing in Malaysian waters off Miri, they used fake licence numbers to try fool the MMEA.
At this juncture, one may ask: Whose fishing vessels are these that bear the licence numbers SF2-3728 and SF2-4049? The authorities should disclose the owners of the vessels and the names of the licence holders in Malaysia. If they are nonexistent, then tell us.
The two vessels were towed to port for detention under the Fisheries Act 1985. Then there was no news about how the case developed. Where are the crew members? Those without Malaysian identification papers must be citizens of other countries and as such are plainly intruders. Since they have violated our national sovereignty, does anybody other than MMEA officials know what punishment has been or will be meted out to the trespassers?
Why the silence on the seafront? For this silence, I protest. Protest number two: Confiscated fish should be auctioned off and sold in the open market at a reasonable price. If sold to the successful bidder, then where did the money go? More important than the price of fish
I think that in this problem of encroachment by foreign fishermen, there is more than meets the eye.
I’m complaining about how easy it has been for them to catch our fish, using trawlers with nets that sweep the seabed, and to get away with the loot. With impunity.
Why do we allow ourselves to be bullied by the foreigners?
They have trespassed on our territorial waters. When we chase them, they move over to international waters and wave goodbye, laughing all the way to the bank.
Then they will come back and do the same thing. Again and again. And there seems to be very little that we can do other than arrest the crew and detain the vessels. Are they really fishing or doing something sinister?
I dread to think of a distinct possibility in terms of security threat; for the seafront is the front door of our country. Memories are still fresh of the Japanese imperial forces coming from the sea and landing at Miri in 1941 and later at Sibu Laut before reaching Kuching.
I presume that the relevant authorities dealing with foreign affairs have complained quietly to the countries whose vessels have been exploiting our natural resources. But the ordinary mortals know almost nothing about those complaints, if at all. We are being kept largely in the dark over an important matter –national interests.
Why are we keeping quiet while our security is being compromised?
I do not understand all this silence. So I detest the daylight robbery and I’m deeply worried. What if…
You should forget about my first protest (not my Senangin; it has been salted away anyway) but think seriously of the second.
I can do without fish for a few days but I can’t stomach the encroachment into our territory by non-citizens by sea or, for that matter, by land or by air.
I must say that the MMEA has done a good job with the present strength and with the present size of assets in overseeing a long coastline. They have to cover an area equivalent to 40 per cent of the coastal waters of Malaysia. I’m sure both MMEA and the Marine Police have been working hand-in-glove to protect our waters.
They must be given all the necessary assets and the latest surveillance equipment if we want them to prevent foreign fishermen from further exploiting our natural resources.
If the MMEA personnel ask for a couple of landing crafts – a requirement that they think is necessary for the moment – well, we will have to find the money somehow for the acquisition of the assets.
That’s the minimum tool that they need to be effective in policing the whole length of the coast from Tanjung Datu to Kuala Baram. They need the craft to be at sea, day and night, for up to 20 days rather than a few days, at a stretch.
Think of the situation in which our sailors are in: bobbling up and down on the sea day and night, at the mercy of the weather, but for King and country, they have to endure the hardship.
So give them the necessary tools and they will do better in their tugas (job) than they are now.
I have read into their recent press statements and hear their messages loud and clear: they have more than they can chew with the current staff strength and present assets to really do a good job in overseeing a long coastline.
I repeat, ignore my complaint about expensive fish in the market.
One little Senangin or a ton of them is not as important as the security of this beautiful land.