KUALA LUMPUR: More Malaysians need to venture into the tuna fishing industry as the number of Malaysians involved is still relatively low, said Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu (pix).
He said currently, only 11 vessels are participating in the industry while a quota of 74 vessels have been allocated by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to carry out the activity.
“This is a massive project that can bring in good income to those who really work on it,” he said adding that it could also contribute to the national income and create numerous job opportunities.
“Now we only have 11 vessels operating though we have been given a quota of 74. So, through my speech here, those who wish to go into large capital investment may venture into the tuna industry,” he said during the winding up session of the Supply Bill 2023 on behalf of the ministry in the Dewan Negara..
He said this in response to a question from Senator Datuk Paul Igai who wanted to know on the vessel quota and how successful was Malaysia’s involvement in the industry.
He said, Malaysia needs to send reports on the status of resources, landings data, number of active and inactive vessels to the IOTC every year and the poor participation has caused a little problem to the industry in the country. – Bernama
