JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor Fisheries Department detained 15 individuals including local anglers on board boats found fishing in the Sultan Iskandar Marine Park, off Mersing, 134 km from here, early today.
Johor Fisheries Department director Noraishah Hashim said the two class C boats were detained by personnel from its resource management and marine park branch during a patrol in the eastern waters in the state.
‘’The first boat, with a skipper and six anglers on board, aged from 49 to 75, was detained 0.5 nautical miles from Pulau Aur, Mersing at 3 am,’’ he said in a statement today.
She said the second boat was detained 0.6 nautical miles from Pulau Aur with a skipper, a crew member and six anglers, aged 34 to 58, at about the same time as the first boat.
Transferring or possessing aquatic creatures in the marine park area is an offence under Section 43 of the Fisheries Act 1985, she added.
She said all those detained and the seized fishing equipment were being investigated under Section 43(1) of the Fisheries Act 1985.
In this regard, Noraishah urged all quarters, especially fishermen, to comply with their licensing terms to avoid adversely affecting the country’s fisheries resources.
‘’The Fisheries Department of Malaysia is always committed to enforcing the law to ensure the sustainable and competitive management of the fisheries resources,’’ she added. — Bernama
