fisheries management -malaysia case study

7/28/2019 Fisheries Management -Malaysia Case Study

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Fisheries Management Malaysia Case Study(Paper by Zahaitun Mahani Zakariah)

Lecture 6


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Destructive Fishing Methods

According to United Nations Environmental Protection Program(UNEP), destructive fishing methods for marine captured

fisheries is regarded as a threat that arises not from removing too

much resources too quickly, but from the damage caused to

habitat essential to the growth, survival and reproduction ofresources.

Examples of destructive fishing methods are:

Trawling Fish bombing

Cyanide fishing


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Trawling

The impacts of trawling resembles the clearing of forest that threatened

the biological diversity and economic sustainability.

Trawling in shallow water tend to:

Indiscriminately scoop fishjuveniles Destroy essential fish habitats like seagrass

Destroy other sessile organisms such as sponges, tunicates and corals


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Fish bombing and cyanide fishing

Fish bombing and cyanide fishing activities usually occurs in coralreefs.

Fish bombing methods targets fish that swim in big group and do not

take baits. Examples of fish are fusilier and barracuda.

The explosion impacts forms big craters on the seabed and reduced

corals to field of rubble.

Depending on the size of bombs, an explosion can create a crater as

big as 3 to 10 m sq m.

Rubbles are not a favourable fish habitat because they reduce the

chances for hiding and exposed juveniles and fish to predators.


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Cyanide fishing

Rampant in areas from Southeast Asia to South Pacific islands as tradefor live fish increases.

Targets highly priced coral fish species such as

Napoleon wrasse or humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus)

- Vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List Categories Mouse groupers (Cromoleptis altevis)

Giant grouper (Epinephalus lanceolatus)

- Vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List Categorie

Trade - live reef fish food (LRFF) and for aquarium industry.


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Status of Fisheries Management in Malaysia

Malaysia has adopted the conventional fisheries management

approach that consists ofmonitoring, control and

surveillance (MCS) mechanism. Like any other top-down

management:

the government is fully responsible in regulating andmonitoring the fishery sector with minimal or without

participation from stakeholders.

Scientific information commonly used and incorporated in

fisheries management.

The information is used to formulate the regulatory system

that consists of licensing, quota system and zoning of

fishing ground.


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Legal Framework of Fisheries Management in Malaysia

The Fisheries Act 1963 was the first legal framework forfisheries management in Malaysia.

The regulation created a zone of management for fishing

activities.

It prevented trawlers from invading the near shore fishingground which was allocated for the traditional fishermen.

This first zone management however does not address the

conservation of the near shore critical habitatsmangrove,seagrass and corals.


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Fisheries Comprehensive Licensing Policy (1981)

Fisheries Comprehensive Licensing Policy was created

as a management scheme based on the limitation of

fishing activities.

Under this policy, licenses are issued according to size of

fishing vessels, fishing gears and fishing zones. Restriction on licensing is based on a quota system

whenever resources are depleted.

The licensing system ensures that the fisheries resources

are exploited in a sustainable manner, in order to conserve

the stock.


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Fisheries Comprehensive Licensing Policy (1981)

With this policy, the traditional fishing area (classified asZone A) is located in area 5 nautical miles from the

shore.

The fishing operation for commercial boats, especiallyfor trawlers and purse seiners are restricted to waters

beyond 5 nautical miles.

Indirectly, this regulation protects the critical areas in

near shore waters such as mangrove, seagrass and corals.


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Fisheries Act (1985)

After Malaysia declared its Exclusive Economic Zones(EEZ) up to 200 nautical miles through Economic Zone

(EEZ) Act 1984, the new Fisheries Act 1985 superseded

the former act as an effort for promoting fishing activities

further from coastal areas.

The government took steps in protecting resources through

subsidiary regulations under the Fisheries Act 1985.

Section 26 of this Act has categorized fishing withexplosives and poisons as prohibited methods.


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Fisheries (Establishment of Marine Parks Malaysia)

Order 1994

stressed on the protection of coral reef areas

Fisheries (Establishment of Marine Parks Malaysia)

Order 1994 has established 39 islands to be protected as

marine parks. In order to protect the corals from fishing activities,

Fisheries (Prohibited Area)Regulations 1994 designated

the waters within two nautical miles from the

outermost points of the islands as prohibited fishingareas.


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Fishing Management Zones

Code Fishing Zones (nm) Type Fishing VesselsA 05 Traditional fishing vessels

B 512 Traditional vessels; Trawling and

purse seine vessels < 40 GRTC1 1230 Traditional vessels; Trawling and

purse seine vessels 30 All types of fishing vessels


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Enforcement Agencies

The enforcement of fisheries management in Malaysia is a part

of MCS system (monitoring, control and surveillance).

The Resource Protection Branch (RPB) of the DOFM is

responsible in carrying out patrolling as a part of the activity

in enforcing the Fisheries Act 1985, Exclusive EconomicZone Act 1984 and other regulations made thereunder.

This branch is a unit under Resource Management and

Protection of DOFM.

To ensure its effectiveness, this branch is being administered

through the Operation Control Centre which operates 24

hours.


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Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Center (MECC)

The RPB also works closely with the Maritime EnforcementCoordinating Center (MECC) which is placed under the

National Security Division of the Prime Ministers Department.

Besides normal operation by DOF, there were joint-operationswith other maritime agencies such as the Malaysian Marine Police

and Royal Malaysian Navy to prevent the illegal and destructive

fishing activities.

MECC is highly responsible in coordinating these maritime

agencies during the joint-operations.


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Fisheries Status of Destructive Fishing in Malaysia

All Malaysian fishing activities are predominantly within 12

nm and rarely beyond 30 nm.

Most of the fishing activities occur in fishing grounds close to

mangrove, seagrass and coral reef areas.

These habitats are important as they stabilizes shorelines byacting as effective buffer zones, reducing wave energy,

exporting nutrients to nearby ecosystems, and providing

habitats and nursery grounds for a large number of marine

organisms9.

The destructive fishing methods that include mobile fishing

gears, fish bombing and cyanide fishing cause adverse impact

on these three habitats in Malaysia.


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Otter trawl


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Pair Trawling


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Push net boats moored at Sungai Kerang, Perak


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Destructive mobile fishing gears(Cases reportedencroaching Zone A)

States Otter Trawling Pair Trawling Push net

Perlis 308 1 1

Kedah 957 2 19

Penang 242 22 2Perak 1638 536 87

Selangor 631 Nil 2

N Sembilan 0 Nil NilMelaka 2 Nil Nil

Johor 924 5 3


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Destructive mobile fishing gears (Cases reported

encroaching Zone A)

States Otter Trawling Pair Trawling Push net

Pahang 318 Nil Nil

Terengganu 206 Nil Nil

Kelantan 65 Nil NilSarawak 217 Nil Nil

Labuan 50 Nil Nil

Sabah NA Nil NilTotal 5558 566 114

Note: NA = not available, ND = not detected


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Fish Bombing and Cyanide Fishing

Most cases in Sabah Foreign fishermen, especially from the Philippines and

sometimes from Indonesia pre-dominated the numbers

involved in both fishing offences.

Those who are guilty under this section 26 will be fined for

not less than RM20,000 or imprisoned for not less than two

years, or both.

Fish bombing and cyanide fishing activities in Sabah not only

destroy the fish habitat but also adversely impact the tourism

industry.


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Destructive Fishing - General

Destructive fishing is related to weak fishermenorganizations, low environmental awareness and poverty.

Destructive fishing issues in Malaysia are unique due to

differences in geography, marine resource and culturalbackgrounds.

The encroachment of illegal mobile fishing gears such as

trawling and push nets in the Zone A are rampant in

Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.


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Co-management for curbing destructive fishing

activities in Malaysia

With the Fisheries Act 1985, Malaysia has a comprehensivelegislation for protecting its fisheries resources from

destructive fishing.

Unfortunately, the difficulties in enforcement still exist

because of:

shortage of personnel,

shortage of logistic,

shortage of financial resources.


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Co-management

As the alternative for the top down fisheries

management, the government is keen to include localparticipation in fisheries management.

Local participation in fisheries management project hasmany merits since it may:

minimize the administrative and enforcement costs,

maximize the use of traditional knowledge,

improve compliance,

dynamic relationship between the government and the

community in sharing authority in fisheries management.


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Co-management

The empowerment of fishermen in managing the fisheryresources will make them feel committed and this will

promote compliance.

The co-management programs around the world haveshown that when fishermen were left to their own devices,

they can regulate access and enforce rules for ensuring

sustainable fisheries through community institutions.


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Co-management in Other Countries

The traditional knowledge in fisheries management isseen as the major factor in mobilizing the implementation of

co-management.

Proven effective in indigenous fishing communities like Pacific

islands and in some other South Asian countries where they

could manage their fisheries resources without much

intervention from the government and support from scientificknowledge.


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Constraints in the implementation of co-management

in Malaysia

Unfortunately, the history of implementation of traditionalknowledge in fisheries management in Malaysia is very limited

due to at least two possible reasons.

First, the heterogeneity among the inshore fishermen in

Malaysia due to multi-racial and multi-religion contributes

to the uniqueness of the traditional knowledge in fisheries

management.

Secondly, the Malaysian fishermen are more dependent onthe top-down management. They are not very familiar with

the self-management of the fisheries concept and not willing

to accept the role as guardian for the fisheries resources nor

as the enforcer of laws and regulations.


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Strategies for co-management

The government continues to maintain a high level of

involvement in most of the pilot projects in terms of monitoringand supervision.

However, in order to fill the gap between the government and

stakeholders, the government should encourage moreparticipation from NGOs in initiating and conducting the co-

management projects.

If the NGOs were fully empowered, the perception on co-management concept by fishing communities could be much

better because the NGOs are not seen as the authorities involved

in enforcement.

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