Severe punishment, license suspension on illegal fishing methods: Junz Wong

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI) Datuk Junz Wong has advised fishermen to comply with legal fishing methods, failing which they would face severe punishment including suspension or termination of their fishing licenses.
Wong forewarned illegal trawlers as well as irresponsible fishermen against using illegal fishing methods, including fish bombing.
At same time, he urged enforcement authorities to conduct random checking on the netting being installed on fishing boats and used during daily fishing operation, especially for deep sea fishing activities.
He said fishing boats caught with the wrong fishing equipment and netting would be penalised with their operating licenses being suspended.
"MAFI is considering to implement traditional fishing licenses to be conditioned with only traditional fishing methods to protect state resources from extinction due to irresponsible fishing.
"From now onwards, those irresponsible fishermen, especially those indulging in fish bombing, once caught will be punished severely," the minister said in a statement today.
Wong stressed MAFI was taking this issue seriously, as the destruction caused by fish bombing had destroyed the natural marine habitat ecosystem.
"Using netting measurements which are not according to specifications and regulations are accelerating the extinction of our marine resources," he added. — Bernama