Avila Geraldine New Straits Times 9 Nov 11;
KOTA KINABALU: A group of six men created a stir when they were spotted fishing at a diving site off Sapi Island on Monday.
Several concerned local and foreign divers, who were here for leisure dives at the Coral Garden Reef about 2.30pm, spotted the group with six men, including the skipper, about 10m away and warned them to stay out of the water.
Despite being warned, the boatman moved to another spot not far from the diving site and they continued fishing. It is believed that the men, who were tourists, had hired a local boat operator.
"This is dangerous. They are not only doing illegal fishing, but they are fishing within the diving sites.
"There are divers in the water and they can get hooked," said a local diver Kelvin Tong.
Sapi Island is listed under the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (TARP) that was gazetted in 1974. Other islands under TARP are Gaya, Manukan, Sulug and Mamutik.
The park covers an area of 50sq km, comprising islands reefs and sea.
Its main objective is to protect their fauna, flora, and marine eco-system.
The divers reported the incident and had also furnished the TARP management with the boat registration number.
TARP manager Ramlah Awang Jalil said officers would be sent to the spot to conduct a Global Positioning System (GPS) reading.
"From the reading, we will find out whether the fishing took place in the park boundary or outside the area.
"We have a patrol unit and we do 24-hour surveillance around the islands," said Ramlah.
Read more: Illegal fishing near diving site http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/25fishas/Article#ixzz1dAFyt1d8
