KOTA BARU: High operating costs have deterred deep sea boat operators from increasing the number of new vessels.
This has led to the decrease in fishing boat landings in Tok Bali, Pasir Puteh.
State agriculture, agro-based industry, biotechnology, green technology and environment committee chairman Tuan Saripuddin Tuan Ismail said based on the Kelantan State Fisheries Department’s observation, the depreciation of the ringgit was not the main factor affecting or influencing the number of landings in Kelantan.
“The situation has arisen partly because the number of active licences is decreasing and it is difficult to renew them as there are not enough crew members who have Temporary Employment Visit Passes, and the existing vessels are old,” he added.
He was responding to a question from Wan Hassan Wan Ibrahim (PAS-Semerak) who wanted to know whether the government was aware that the number of fishing boats landing in Tok Bali had dropped sig- nificantly, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, Bernama reported.
Tuan Saripuddin is hoping that a more holistic solution can be taken with the Federal Government under the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry by increasing the number of deep-sea licences and reopening the traditional C and B zone licences.
