We are landing fewer fish: Malaysian fishermen

The New Straits Times 11 Jan 09;

Fishermen are warning that how you would like your fish cooked might soon be the least of your concerns, but whether you can have any at all, write ELIZABETH JOHN, AHMAD FAIRUZ OTHMAN and MELISSA DARLYNE CHOW

KUALA LUMPUR: Hundreds of coastal fishermen struggling to fill their nets have this stark warning to the government: address pollution, mangrove loss and destructive fishing methods or coastal fisheries that supplies over half the fish sold in markets today will end.

Two major groups of fishermen sent a memorandum to the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry in November, along with a list of fish that they say are becoming scarce. It includes several varieties of shark, rays, groupers and popular threadfins like senangin and kurau.

Their woes mirror worrying trends that researchers and fisheries experts have been highlighting in recent years.

An Asia-wide study by the World Fish Centre and Fisheries Research Institutes of Malaysia among others, found that over a 20-year period since 1971, the total biomass of fish at shallow depths along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia has plunged by about 90 per cent.

When scientists calculate biomass, they are estimating the abundance of fish at a place and time in terms of weight. Large declines were also recorded in the east coast and Sarawak.

According to the study published in the journal Fisheries Research in 2006, the most affected species in Malaysia are those that dwell close to the seabed like red snapper, grouper and shrimp.

Another study by fisheries consultants Sea Resources Management, based on the Fisheries Department's data between 2000 and 2006, also showed noticeable declines in fish catches in the east coast.

The yellowtail scad or ikan pelata was an example of a potential crash in a fish population.

In Kelantan, for instance, the pelata catch in 2000 stood at 1,621 tonnes. In 2005 and 2006, it nosedived to just one tonne, said the study.

The pelata bulat, pelata bali and pelata sela are also on the list sent to the ministry and memorandum were jointly prepared by Penang Inshore Fishermen Welfare Association (PIFWA), the Malaysian Inshore Fishermen Action Network (Jaring) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia.

The groups call for an end to policies that push inshore fishermen towards deep-sea fishing and aquaculture.

Instead, the groups ask the government to focus on halting the destruction of mangrove ecosystems, which fishermen depend on for their livelihood, for development and aquaculture projects.

The memo cites Penaga, Pulau Pinang and Bagan Datoh in Perak as instances where fishermen's incomes dropped after vast tracts of mangroves were cleared for aquaculture and pollution from pond waste found its way into the sea.

Their concerns about the environment were backed by the 2006 study which highlighted siltation from land development as one of several serious issues in the coastal zone. The study also noted excessive heavy metal pollution in the areas studied in Malaysia.

Fishermen also want the government to look into their welfare, including the difficulty older fishermen faced in getting loans or making payments.

Other issues they raised included destructive and illegal fishing methods, red tape and political interference in the issuance of fishing licences.

Many have given up on the sea
The New Straits Times 11 Jan 09;

ASK any fisherman in Kampung Serkat, Pontian and he will tell you how hard it is to get by these days.

The frustration on fishermen's faces say all there is to say about the empty nets and their struggle to get by on less in Johor's south western coast.

Fisherman Johari Hamid, of Kampung Serkat Laut caught barely 2kg of prawns and ikan tebal pipi (common javelin fish) after six hours at sea.

"The waters used to teem with the fish, now we are lucky to return with 500g of fish."

It's giving them sleepless nights, says Jamaluddin Mohamad, a fishermen and president of Malaysian Inshore Fishermen Action Network (Jaring), a national inshore fishermen's action group.

Previously kurau, tenggiri and parang were plentiful along the coast of Pontian, he said, but not anymore. Inshore fishermen are catching only a fifth of what they used to catch a decade ago.

They blame the declining catch on development and trawlers that encroach into their fishing zone, netting all the fish and leaving them little.

They are also unhappy about the conversion of coastal mangrove forests and the impact of effluents from the port and the petrochemical plant in nearby Tanjung Bin on marine life.

Pontian fishermen also share their crowded waterway with giant cargo ships.

Ships plying the Straits of Malacca navigate through Pontian waters before reaching the Port of Tanjung Pelepas -- Johor's busiest cargo port.

"The sea around here is getting busier.

"I get scared when I bump into the ships when I go out to sea," said Adam Mohamad, another fisherman in this sleepy hamlet.

This has forced some to venture further out for a better haul and others into uncharted territory -- inland.

Some of Jamaluddin and Adam's compatriots have taken second jobs or have just given up fishing.

Mohd Tahir Hamid, 36, traded the RM300 his net could bring for a job in an independent power plant in Tanjung Bin, near Gelang Patah that pays RM2,000 a month.

Abdul Rahim Saman, 43, juggles fishing with carpentry and farming to supplement a RM600 monthly income.

For most who don't have this option, morale has plummeted along with the catch.

The situation drove Jaring's 1,000 members to help put together the memorandum to government in November.

The nine-point memorandum highlights how existing policies and practices have adversely affected inshore fishermen.

They also feel that the problem is compounded by a general lack of respect for their community.

Jamaluddin claimed Fisheries Department officials seldom meet inshore fishermen and were often in the dark over their plight.

"I would like to suggest the district Fisheries Department send officials to the Penghulu fishermen's jetty here.

"They should check the situation from one dock to the other. They should look into our licensing problems.

"Unfortunately it is the fishermen who have to approach the officials."

Jamaluddin recalled his surprise during the submission of the memorandum recently that there was a RM25,000 fund for fishermen to buy new boats.

The fund under the Fisheries Development Authority does not carry any interest, but Jamaluddin said most inshore fishermen had no idea it existed.

'Some days, fishermen don't have fish to eat'
The New Straits Times 11 Jan 09;

THE weathered fisherman is holding on, but only just.

Spending more and more time in his 23-foot sampan with less to show, Illias Shafie is getting worried.

The catch was substantial decades ago, said the 56-year-old fisherman, but it has dwindled to almost nothing now.

"It has reached a point where sometimes, even fishermen do not have fish to eat."

A stark contrast with the past when 100kg catches were common, he said.
Fishermen now have to cope with spiralling maintenance and transport costs while feeding their families with a catch of just 30kg.

"Previously we were able to catch more types of fish like pedukang, selama, sembilang, siakap and senangin. Now we are only able to catch sembilang, siakap and senangin."

Ilias, chairman of the Penang Inshore Fishermen Welfare Association (PIFWA), said they helped to draw up the memorandum to the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry because inshore fishermen faced many problems that no one was helping to solve.

He said trawlers using Appolo seines were encroaching into the fishing zone that traditional fishermen like him depended on.

This fishing equipment is supposed to be used further out at sea, not close to the coast.

"This hampers the inshore fishermen as trawls and Appolo seines are meant to make big catches.

Coupled with the pollution and unpredictable weather, inshore fishermen have been hit hard.

"Mangrove forests, corals and artificial reefs in the sea have also gone down," he said.

"Fishermen must be taught that they cannot destroy these reefs and mangroves.

"Agencies, on their part, must be firm in enforcement."

Illias said the ministry and other agencies had promised to help.

"The government has good plans and policies, but what we do not like is that when implemented, the plan does not work.

"The help does not reach fishermen."

Ilias said from the monitoring PIFWA had been carrying out, there were fishermen who had no licence and those who did not receive fuel subsidies.

"Politicking needs to stop, so that these fishermen can get the help that they need so that they can feed their families."

We are on top of things, says ministry
The New Straits Times 11 Jan 09;

WE are aware of the problem and are taking action, says the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry.

In a written response to the New Sunday Times, minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said there were signs of depleting fish stocks in coastal waters, particularly in the Straits of Malacca.

"This trend has been observed by scientific investigations and monitoring programmes carried out by the Fisheries Department and through evaluation of commercial fishing.

"The recommendation is to sustain the annual catch from coastal fisheries to 900,000 tonnes."

An estimated 70,000 fishermen depend on coastal waters for their livelihood. Their annual catch of about a million tonnes contributes more than 80 per cent of the total fish production of Malaysia.
The ministry said it had started a scheme to invite small trawlers to voluntarily surrender their licences and opt for deep sea fishing or more environment-friendly methods.

This scheme has so far attracted 80 small trawlers in Kedah.

More artificial reefs were also being constructed to protect and rehabilitate coastal fisheries.