Illegal fishing is becoming a problem along Sungai Melaka

MELAKA: In a bid to save money on food, foreigners are casting their nets at prohibited areas along Sungai Melaka and emptying the river of its freshwater fish population.

Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB) Councillor Kon Qi Yao said the foreigners were attracted by the abundance of fish along the river and started their activities late to evade the authorities.

"Fishing is prohibited along the river as it is meant for tourism and recreation purposes," he said when interviewed on Wednesday (Aug 24).

Kon said fishing was not allowed along the 10km stretch of the river as the waterway was used for Melaka River Cruise and other tourism activities.

However, he said lack of manpower to carry out enforcement actions has led to foreigners casting their nets indiscriminately.

"I have brought up the need to increase patrolling along the riverbank as the number of illegal fishing activities are on the rise over the past few years," he said.

Kon said there was also a tendency to discard inedible fish along the riverbank that caused a pungent stench.

"The dead fish were left along the walkway of the riverbank," he said, adding that some were willing to cross barriers along the riverbank to fish in the river.

When met, a local named Micheal Tan, 51, who often jogs along the river said it was a usual sight to see foreigners casting their nets after 7.30pm.

"More often than not, three or four foreigners can be seen fishing while carrying buckets to place the catch," he said.

Tan said the foreigners were also rude when he advised them not to fish along the river.

One of the foreigners when approached replied that no one could stop them from casting their nets and claimed that they had permission to do so.

He also claimed that he could save money and send to his family back in his homeland by depending on the catches along the river.