Miri Fishermen Association lauds MMEA on ongoing ops against illegal fishing and smuggling
MIRI: The Miri Fishermen Association ( MFA) commends the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency ( MMEA) for its ongoing operations against illegal fishing and smuggling activities by irresponsible parties.
MFA chairman Councillor Jamali Basri said the recent seizure of 315 live ‘ Yu Cicak’ ( spotted sharks) from a vessel about 60 nautical miles off Miri, showed that the agency ‘means business when it comes to illegal fishing activities’.
“We want to thank MMEA Miri for their dedication in carrying out their duties not only to safeguard Miri waters, but also the interest and welfare of the fishing community here,” Jamali told The Borneo Post yesterday.
On Wednesday, MMEA Miri detained five Vietnamese fishermen – aged between 19 and 62 – during an operation, where the enforcers found the boat that the foreigners were on did not have any valid fishing permit.
Further checks on board the vessel uncovered about two tonnes of catch, as well as 315 live sharks kept in a number of containers.
Adding on, Jamali said there had been a lot of offshore operations conducted by MMEA Miri over the past two months, where the enforcers arrested many foreign fishermen working on board local cargo vessels.
“It appears that the number of cases of illegal fishing in Miri waters have dropped — thanks to MMEA.
“We, the fishing community in Miri, will work together with MMEA including providing the agency with information about any suspicious activity at sea,” he added.
On the seizure of the live sharks, Jamali said it would be quite ‘impossible’ to catch the ‘yu cicak’ using rods.
“The number found on the vessel, 315 sharks, is quite high – the fishermen might have used some illegal methods to catch such a large number of sharks.
“The ‘ yu cicak’ may not be categorised as an endangered species, but through illegal and uncontrolled fishing, the number could drop significantly in no time,” he said, hoping that Sarawak Forestry Corporation ( SFC) and other relevant agencies would conduct followup on the recent seizure of the live sharks.