The other war on terror..
dailyexpress.com.my
Sabah declares all-out war on fish ‘terrorists’
31 January, 2004
Kota Kinabalu: Fisherman “Yusof” used to get a lucrative income from his trade about seven years ago but the method he used to catch his fish terrified the other fishermen.
Now, Yusof (not his real name) hardly goes to sea and his livelihood is at its lowest ebb - all because of the home-made bomb he used to catch his fish.
The incident happened to Yusof in 1997 when the bomb exploded in his hand before he could hurl it into the sea.
Yusof could count himself lucky in that he has lost only a hand in that dangerous fishing method which turned the wrath of the other fishermen and people against the State Government.
As a result of people like Yusof, the State Government has no choice but to declare an all-out war against these “bomb fishermen” who are aptly described as the “terrorists” of the fishing industry.
The bomb fishing method is not only illegal but is also robbing the State of revenue from its marine resources, worth millions of ringgit.
With a bottle to contain a mixture of ammonium nitrate, sulphur, diesel and detonator, the home-made device is thrown into the waters where it kills quickly the different types of fish in the target area.
Sabah’s Director of Fisheries, Rayner Datuk Stuel Galid, said the strong explosion would destroy the eco-system and the corals which are the breeding ground of marine life.
Each explosion can destroy an area of 1,000 sq. metres and if left unchecked, the bombs would cost millions of ringgit to the fishing industry.
“You can imagine how many tonnes of coral are destroyed by a single explosion, and the growth rate of these corals is so slow, about an inch a year,” he said.
Besides damaging the State fishing industry, the bombs also threaten the livelihood of other honest and genuine fishermen, who depend totally on fishing for a living.
Rayner said such method of fishing is fortunately becoming fewer following tighter surveillance and enforcement by the various agencies, including the marine police, the Marine Department and the military.
Enforcement is carried out on an ad hoc basis at all Sabah ports like Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Penyu, Sandakan, Tawau and certain districts.
Other measures are patrols to catch trawlers fishing in prohibited areas or small boats which use the bombs or chemicals to catch their fish.
“The department has the expertise to determine whether the fish sold in the market are caught using the fish bombs,” he said.
Patrols are also mounted to curb fishing without the required permits, fishing with illegal fish traps like the “bagang” as well as checking on vessels to see the rules and regulations are adhered to.
Rayner said for the year 2003, the Sabah Fisheries Department mounted a total of 51 enforcement operations at four main ports, including 10 surprise raids.
The department also checked on markets or places where seafood are sold, like school canteens and other strategic locations.
“We also set up road blocks to check on vehicles carrying seafood, control the import or export of fish at the airport to see that the operators have the relevant licences and permits. We also check on pet shops to see that they do not sell prohibited species of fish,” he said.
Rayner said for the whole of last year, the department conducted 434 enforcement operations on land, including 86 that were conducted on an ad hoc basis.
From 14 arrests, 24 people were charged in court under Section 26 (1) of the Fisheries Act 1985, resulting in two offenders being jailed for seven months, one fined RM1,000 or two months’ jail, and another, fined RM500 or one month’s jail.
According to Rayner, about 99 per cent of the cases of illegal fishing in Sabah waters involved foreigners, who were believed to be sponsored by local fish towkays.
These “sponsors” are believed to provide the illegal fishermen, mostly youths from the Philippines, with the money, fuel and boats to catch the fish.
He hoped that the illegal fishing and selling of fish in the State would decline with the passage of a new enactment, empowering the Fisheries Department to act against those found selling fish caught by bombing.
Measures to curb illegal fishing and selling of the seafood can be stepped up if they could have more enforcement personnel and patrol boats, he added.
“We now have only 30 staff and six patrol boats to cover the whole State of Sabah. We have applied to the Federal Government to double the manpower and boats.
“In fact, marine matters are under the jurisdiction of the central government and we are only the enforcing agency for them,” he said.
Sabah Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries, Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail, said the Government takes a serious view of fishing using the illegal exploding devices because it damages the national fishing industry.
“We will continue with the agenda implemented by former Chief Minister Datuk Chong Kah Kiat (stamp out illegal fishing) by reviving the committee tasked with the duty of overcoming the problem.
“The Government has no intention to terminate the function of this committee which is represented by the Fisheries Department, the police, the military, the navy and the Marine Department,” he said.
For Yusof, the black incident in his life made him realise the danger of using bombs to fish and he is now helping the authorities to stop the menace.-Bernama |
