KUCHING: The Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOF) is planning to develop artificial reef complexes in the East Coast states in response to encroachments and the depletion of fish resources.
Its director-general, Datuk Adnan Hussain, said the initiative, which covers Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu, is part of the department’s strategy to increase the country’s fisheries output over the next five years.
“Previously, we scattered reefs across various locations, but with this new approach, we intend to concentrate them in a single location, with plans for expansion. This will provide a more significant impact.
“Our goal is to establish the artificial reef complexes within the next five years. However, we will not neglect Sarawak in this initiative,” he told a press conference after the Rasa-rasa Akuakultur Programme and myAgropreneur Perikanan and myKomuniti Perikanan Carnival here today.
On Feb 8, Bernama reported that DOF is actively carrying out various conservation programmes, especially in sensitive areas, to ensure the sustainability of Malaysia’s fish stocks.
Adnan further said that the budget for developing the reef complexes is among the proposals to be submitted to the Ministry of Economy next week in preparation for the 13th Malaysia Plan.
He mentioned that the department often receives requests from state governments, particularly regarding the construction of artificial reefs in local waters.
“We hope to secure a substantial allocation so that we can distribute this budget fairly to each state. Given our limited budget, we are unable to meet all states’ requests,” he said, adding that a total of 202,004 artificial reef units have been deployed in Sarawak’s waters since 1984.
Earlier in his speech, Adnan highlighted that Sarawak is one of the largest contributors to the country’s aquaculture production, contributing approximately 11,000 metric tons of the national total of 510,000 metric tons last year.
He also encouraged more Malaysians to venture into aquaculture farming and become fisheries entrepreneurs through programmes offered by DOF.
As of 2024, a total of RM6.66 million has been allocated to aquaculture farmers in Sarawak through the Skim Penyampaian dan Khidmat Sokongan (SpeKS), while RM958,000 has been distributed to 10 participants as part of the community development programme for this year.
