KUCHING: The Fisheries Department is planning to develop artificial reef complexes in the East Coast states to address encroachment issues and the depletion of fish resources.
Its director-general, Datuk Adnan Hussain, said the initiative, which involves Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu, is part of the department’s strategy to boost the country’s fisheries output over the next five years.
“Previously, we scattered reefs across various locations, but with this new approach, we aim to concentrate them in one location, with the potential for future expansion. This will have a more significant impact.
“Our goal is to establish the artificial reef complexes within the next five years. However, we will not overlook Sarawak in this initiative,” he said at a press conference following the Rasa-Rasa Akuakultur Programme and the myAgropreneur Perikanan and myKomuniti Perikanan Carnival here yesterday.
On Feb 8, Bernama reported that the department is actively implementing various conservation programmes, particularly in sensitive areas, to ensure the sustainability of Malaysia’s fish stocks.
Adnan added that the budget for developing the reef complexes will be included in proposals to be submitted to the Economy Ministry next week as part of preparations for the 13th Malaysia Plan.
He noted that the department frequently receives requests from state governments for the construction of artificial reefs in their waters.
“We hope to secure a substantial allocation so that we can distribute the budget fairly among the states. With the current limited funding, we are unable to accommodate all requests,” he said, adding that a total of 202,004 artificial reef units have been deployed in Sarawak’s waters since 1984.
In his speech, Adnan highlighted that Sarawak is one of the largest contributors to the country’s aquaculture production, accounting for approximately 11,000 metric tonnes out of the national total of 510,000 metric tonnes last year.
He also encouraged more Malaysians to venture into aquaculture farming and become fisheries entrepreneurs through the department’s programmes.
As of 2024, a total of RM6.66mil has been allocated to aquaculture farmers in Sarawak under Skim Penyampaian dan Khidmat Sokongan, while RM958,000 has been distributed to 10 participants under the community development programme this year.
