Malaysian fisheries: costs increase, resources decrease, difficulties are surrounded

Malaysian fishermen are witnessing climate change chaos monsoon cycles and flow of fish, leading to loss of sea trips while fishing costs increase.

Bagan Sekinchan fishing village. Many fishing vessels here have small capacity, ineffective against changes in the fishing grounds. Photo: Hai Seng Huat wharf management agency. The small crane diligently carried each barrel of fish from the ship to the Hai Seng Huat wharf while the traders were busy choosing the right fish on the wet port floor. This sea trip was a big hit, especially for Indian mackerel. But with Chia Tian Seng, a 47-year-old fisherman in this area, there is still a worry in his heart. He and his three siblings, who worked together as fishermen, noticed that the weather was getting more and more unusual. With Seng’s seafaring profession, the weather will determine the effectiveness of each sailing trip. For 10 years of being directly in charge of a fishing boat, Seng has never seen an unusual wind and current like now. “Previously, in the main season, the wind and the water flow were usually very stable, now it is uncertain, very unpredictable, now it can hit like this, but it can also be empty,” said Seng. According to Seng, the changes in natural conditions also prevent the target from being caught. “In the past, the sea cases at the beginning of the year never had squid, it was only in the middle of the year, but from the Lunar New Year until now, my ship caught a few tons”. Seng’s brother, Mr. Hee, who is currently the chairman of the Fisheries and Fisheries Association of Sekinchan town (Sabak Bernam city, Selangor state) added that, for 2 years now, I have not understood why Indian mackerel is so much. Before fishermen hunt, it is rare, now every trip is available, so the price is not good. Fishermen He said that every trip to the ship owner complained that the team cost was too much. Vessels now often have to go farther and more winding than they can to see the flow of fish. According to experts, climate change is the agent that makes the marine profession change and more difficult. The waiting fish tanks were transferred to Hai Seng Huat jetty. Photo: Hai Seng Huat wharf management agency. Tee Kai Seng, a 27-year-old fisherman who has been in the ocean for 10 years, noticed that the fish were getting smaller and smaller, causing the boat to move more to get big fish. “Previously I earned at least 2,000 RM (about 11 million VND) to 3,000 RM, about this year no trip has been more than 2,000 RM,” he said. In addition, the traditional fishing area that Tee Kai Seng used to go to now has not many fish, making each voyage go further. The Malaysian government recently revised the law, extending the ban on fin net fishing from 5 to 8 nautical miles from the coast. In the narrow Malacca Strait, outside 8 nautical miles for fishing is very difficult due to the busy passage of ships on the world sea, and it is also easy to violate the anti-IUU fishing regulations when the Indonesian territorial waters are too near the. But Chia Tian Seng still emphasizes the factor of climate change that is making Malaysian fisheries more difficult. The former northeast or southwest winter time – from November to March of the following year and from May to September – is usually the time when the Malaysian fisherman is carrying fish. Climate change changes the fish seasons. “Sometimes going to the sea, the wind blows from all sides, so the fish can not be determined,” said Seng. “Sometimes 3-4 days in a row the wind blows in the southeast direction, suddenly it turns to the northeast, then changes again”, the fisherman who is now the owner of the Hong King Mooi fish bowl added. According to Mr. Mooi, the wind changes, the flow of fish is difficult to find, more dangerous than fishermen’s boats that are easily dangerous. The phenomenon started appearing in 2004, and has become more frequent more and more recently, according to fisherman Hee. Malaysia is one of the countries with a high rate of fish consumption in daily meals in the world. Some figures in 2016 show that a Malaysian eats 168g of fish per day. That same year, the Center for the Development of Southeast Asian Fisheries assessed the total marine fish catch in Malaysia was worth 2.5 million USD. Newer figures from the Malaysian Bureau of Statistics in 2018, the output of sea fishing reached 1.45 million tons, in 2019 it was 1.46 million tons.