KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is looking into effective methods to curb rampant fish bombing activity in the state.
State Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Junz Wong said the process of formulating the plan remained ongoing.
“We have started (looking into the plan) since the incident of fish bombing that involved divers (in Semporna last year).
“We need to set up a committee, clarify the plan and maybe get funds from United Nations for the state fisheries department to go to the ground,” he told reporters after launching Sabah Rubber Industry Board’s (LIGS) Platinum Jubilee celebration today.
During the press conference, Wong had also clarified that he had wrongly used the term “kids” in describing culprits behind the fish-bombings.
Wong said he had meant youngsters aged between 15 and 17, who are equally punishable under the Fisheries Act 1985.
“The enforcement is still ongoing but the fish bombing is also happening. We are looking into a holistic approach to solve socioeconomic problems for fishermen so that they will not resort to bombing fish.”
Former chief justice Tan Sri Richard Malanjum had recently ticked off Wong over the latter’s statement that said the perpetrators behind the fish bombings were “kids” and “nothing could be done”.
Richard had also said instead of providing weak excuses, the state government must show urgency in protecting the environment, in particular against acts that destruct coral reefs that would affect Sabah’s tourism industry.
Earlier, Wong launched LIGS’s new user-friendly portal for smallholders to check and update their profile in the system.
Through the new portal, smallholders can now print statements on the price of rubber commodity.