IPOH: The state Fisheries Department has seized 14 fishing vessels, valued at RM8.9mil, for multiple violations under the Fisheries Act 1985.
The department noted in a statement on Friday (Dec 13) that these actions were part of the Integrated Operation for the Central Zone Fishing Vessel Monitoring and Surveillance Programme, Series 3.
The operation was organised by the Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance Unit of Kampung Acheh, in cooperation with the Conservation and Fisheries Protection Division of Putrajaya.
The operation, which ran from Dec 9 to 13, 2024, involved 30 personnel and five sea assets from the Fisheries Conservation and Protection Branch of Kampung Acheh and Kuala Kurau.
The seized items included one trawl net vessel, nine bottom trawl vessels, two fish aggregation device vessels, and two 'rawa surong' vessels.
The statement detailed the offences as operating local fishing vessels without a licence, employing foreign crews without the authorisation of the Fisheries director-general, fishing within 15 nautical miles of the zone, and failing to activate the vessel's tracking device during operations.
"The impounded vessels have been brought to the Kampung Acheh base in Sitiawan for further investigation," the statement read.
The statement underlined that the Malaysian Fisheries Department takes violations of the Fisheries Act 1985 very seriously, as encroaching on restricted fishing zones, using banned fishing equipment, and engaging in other unethical practices can drastically deplete fishery resources.
"This includes impacting fish stocks and preventing conflicts between commercial and traditional fishermen," it added. – Bernama
