DUNGUN: The Terengganu Fishermen's Association (Penentu) has expressed concern about the widespread encroachment of Vietnamese fishing boats into state waters during the monsoon season.
Its chairman Mat Yassin Mohamed said foreign fishing boats boldly intrude into state waters to fish as they believe authorities will not carry out as many operations during bad weather and rough seas.
He added that most foreign fishing boats that intrude into state waters use the pair trawling method, which has long been banned in Malaysia.
"The use of pair trawls usually involves a radius of one kilometre to catch marine products, including immature ones, which further damages the marine ecosystem," he said when contacted on Sunday (Dec 14).
Mat Yassin said that the waters off Terengganu have a high yield of marine life.
He said authorities such as the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), marine police, and the Fisheries Department were asked to increase monitoring to combat foreign fishermen's encroachment during the monsoon season.
He added that immediate action is needed because it could harm marine life in the future. – Bernama
