Fisheries Management Malaysia Case Study

(Paper by Zahaitun Mahani Zakariah)

Lecture 6

Destructive Fishing Methods

According to United Nations Environmental Protection Program (UNEP), destructive fishing methods for marine captured fisheries is regarded as a threat that arises not from removing too much resources too quickly, but from the damage caused to habitat essential to the growth, survival and reproduction of resources.

Examples of destructive fishing methods are: Trawling Fish bombing Cyanide fishing

Trawling
The impacts of trawling resembles the clearing of forest that threatened the biological diversity and economic sustainability. Trawling in shallow water tend to: Indiscriminately scoop fish juveniles Destroy essential fish habitats like seagrass Destroy other sessile organisms such as sponges, tunicates and corals

Fish bombing and cyanide fishing

Fish bombing and cyanide fishing activities usually occurs in coral reefs. Fish bombing methods targets fish that swim in big group and do not take baits. Examples of fish are fusilier and barracuda. The explosion impacts forms big craters on the seabed and reduced corals to field of rubble. Depending on the size of bombs, an explosion can create a crater as big as 3 to 10 m sq m.

Rubbles are not a favourable fish habitat because they reduce the chances for hiding and exposed juveniles and fish to predators.

Cyanide fishing
Rampant in areas from Southeast Asia to South Pacific islands as trade for live fish increases. Targets highly priced coral fish species such as Napoleon wrasse or humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) - Vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List Categories Mouse groupers (Cromoleptis altevis) Giant grouper (Epinephalus lanceolatus) - Vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List Categorie Trade - live reef fish food (LRFF) and for aquarium industry.

Status of Fisheries Management in Malaysia

Malaysia has adopted the conventional fisheries management approach that consists of monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) mechanism. Like any other top-down management: the government is fully responsible in regulating and monitoring the fishery sector with minimal or without participation from stakeholders. Scientific information commonly used and incorporated in fisheries management. The information is used to formulate the regulatory system that consists of licensing, quota system and zoning of fishing ground.

Legal Framework of Fisheries Management in Malaysia

The Fisheries Act 1963 was the first legal framework for

fisheries management in Malaysia. The regulation created a zone of management for fishing activities. It prevented trawlers from invading the near shore fishing ground which was allocated for the traditional fishermen. This first zone management however does not address the conservation of the near shore critical habitats mangrove, seagrass and corals.

Fisheries Comprehensive Licensing Policy (1981)

Fisheries Comprehensive Licensing Policy was created as a management scheme based on the limitation of fishing activities. Under this policy, licenses are issued according to size of fishing vessels, fishing gears and fishing zones. Restriction on licensing is based on a quota system whenever resources are depleted. The licensing system ensures that the fisheries resources are exploited in a sustainable manner, in order to conserve the stock.

Fisheries Comprehensive Licensing Policy (1981)

With this policy, the traditional fishing area (classified as

Zone A) is located in area 5 nautical miles from the shore. The fishing operation for commercial boats, especially for trawlers and purse seiners are restricted to waters beyond 5 nautical miles. Indirectly, this regulation protects the critical areas in near shore waters such as mangrove, seagrass and corals.

Fisheries Act (1985)

After Malaysia declared its Exclusive Economic Zones

(EEZ) up to 200 nautical miles through Economic Zone (EEZ) Act 1984, the new Fisheries Act 1985 superseded the former act as an effort for promoting fishing activities further from coastal areas. The government took steps in protecting resources through subsidiary regulations under the Fisheries Act 1985. Section 26 of this Act has categorized fishing with explosives and poisons as prohibited methods.

Fisheries (Establishment of Marine Parks Malaysia) Order 1994

stressed on the protection of coral reef areas Fisheries (Establishment of Marine Parks Malaysia)

Order 1994 has established 39 islands to be protected as marine parks. In order to protect the corals from fishing activities, Fisheries (Prohibited Area)Regulations 1994 designated the waters within two nautical miles from the outermost points of the islands as prohibited fishing areas.

Fishing Management Zones Code Fishing Zones (nm) A 05 B 5 12 C1 12 30 Type Fishing Vessels Traditional fishing vessels Traditional vessels; Trawling and purse seine vessels < 40 GRT Traditional vessels; Trawling and purse seine vessels <70 GRT All types of fishing vessels

C2

>30

Enforcement Agencies
The enforcement of fisheries management in Malaysia is a part of MCS system (monitoring, control and surveillance). The Resource Protection Branch (RPB) of the DOFM is responsible in carrying out patrolling as a part of the activity in enforcing the Fisheries Act 1985, Exclusive Economic Zone Act 1984 and other regulations made thereunder. This branch is a unit under Resource Management and Protection of DOFM. To ensure its effectiveness, this branch is being administered through the Operation Control Centre which operates 24 hours.

Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Center (MECC)

The RPB also works closely with the Maritime Enforcement

Coordinating Center (MECC) which is placed under the National Security Division of the Prime Ministers Department.
Besides normal operation by DOF, there were joint-operations

with other maritime agencies such as the Malaysian Marine Police and Royal Malaysian Navy to prevent the illegal and destructive fishing activities.
MECC is highly responsible in coordinating these maritime

agencies during the joint-operations.

Fisheries Status of Destructive Fishing in Malaysia

All Malaysian fishing activities are predominantly within 12 nm and rarely beyond 30 nm. Most of the fishing activities occur in fishing grounds close to mangrove, seagrass and coral reef areas. These habitats are important as they stabilizes shorelines by acting as effective buffer zones, reducing wave energy, exporting nutrients to nearby ecosystems, and providing habitats and nursery grounds for a large number of marine organisms9. The destructive fishing methods that include mobile fishing gears, fish bombing and cyanide fishing cause adverse impact on these three habitats in Malaysia.

Otter trawl

Pair Trawling

Push net boats moored at Sungai Kerang, Perak

Destructive mobile fishing gears (Cases reported encroaching Zone A) States Otter Trawling Perlis 308 Kedah 957 Penang 242 Perak 1638 Selangor 631 N Sembilan 0 Melaka 2 Johor 924 Pair Trawling 1 2 22 536 Nil Nil Nil 5 Push net 1 19 2 87 2 Nil Nil 3

Destructive mobile fishing gears (Cases reported encroaching Zone A)

States Otter Trawling Pair Trawling Pahang 318 Nil Terengganu 206 Nil Kelantan 65 Nil Sarawak 217 Nil Labuan 50 Nil Sabah NA Nil Total 5558 566 Note: NA = not available, ND = not detected Push net Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 114

Fish Bombing and Cyanide Fishing

Most cases in Sabah Foreign fishermen, especially from the Philippines and

sometimes from Indonesia pre-dominated the numbers involved in both fishing offences. Those who are guilty under this section 26 will be fined for not less than RM20,000 or imprisoned for not less than two years, or both.
Fish bombing and cyanide fishing activities in Sabah not only

destroy the fish habitat but also adversely impact the tourism industry.

Destructive Fishing - General

Destructive fishing is related to weak fishermen

organizations, low environmental awareness and poverty. Destructive fishing issues in Malaysia are unique due to differences in geography, marine resource and cultural backgrounds. The encroachment of illegal mobile fishing gears such as trawling and push nets in the Zone A are rampant in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.

Co-management for curbing destructive fishing activities in Malaysia

With the Fisheries Act 1985, Malaysia has a comprehensive legislation for protecting its fisheries resources from destructive fishing. Unfortunately, the difficulties in enforcement still exist because of: shortage of personnel, shortage of logistic, shortage of financial resources.

Co-management
As the alternative for the top down fisheries management, the government is keen to include local participation in fisheries management.

Local participation in fisheries management project has many merits since it may: minimize the administrative and enforcement costs, maximize the use of traditional knowledge, improve compliance, dynamic relationship between the government and the community in sharing authority in fisheries management.

Co-management
The empowerment of fishermen in managing the fishery resources will make them feel committed and this will promote compliance.

The co-management programs around the world have shown that when fishermen were left to their own devices, they can regulate access and enforce rules for ensuring sustainable fisheries through community institutions.

Co-management in Other Countries The traditional knowledge in fisheries management is seen as the major factor in mobilizing the implementation of co-management. Proven effective in indigenous fishing communities like Pacific islands and in some other South Asian countries where they could manage their fisheries resources without much intervention from the government and support from scientific knowledge.

Constraints in the implementation of co-management in Malaysia

Unfortunately, the history of implementation of traditional knowledge in fisheries management in Malaysia is very limited due to at least two possible reasons. First, the heterogeneity among the inshore fishermen in Malaysia due to multi-racial and multi-religion contributes to the uniqueness of the traditional knowledge in fisheries management. Secondly, the Malaysian fishermen are more dependent on the top-down management. They are not very familiar with the self-management of the fisheries concept and not willing to accept the role as guardian for the fisheries resources nor as the enforcer of laws and regulations.

Strategies for co-management

The government continues to maintain a high level of involvement in most of the pilot projects in terms of monitoring and supervision. However, in order to fill the gap between the government and stakeholders, the government should encourage more participation from NGOs in initiating and conducting the comanagement projects. If the NGOs were fully empowered, the perception on comanagement concept by fishing communities could be much better because the NGOs are not seen as the authorities involved in enforcement.