KOTA KINABALU: Sabah government is determined to put a stop to the harmful fish bombing, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
"We want fish bombing to be stopped, that is the policy of state government.
"We will take serious action against those who are still using fish bomb as their way to fish.
"I have no idea (why they still carry out the illegal activity) probably it is because it is the easiest for them to catch fish.
"It has to be stopped; among the measures is to educate them and (take) legal action to arrest those involved," he told reporters after witnessing the signing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ceremony between Sabah Fisheries department and Petronas.
Last year, New Straits Times has reported the rampant fish bombing incidents in Semporna.
Apart from the stakeholders' reports on fish bombing incidents and arrests, the rampancy of the destructive fishing method also reflected in the selling of bombed fish openly at wet markets in Semporna.
Fish blasting is a criminal offense punishable under Section 8 of the Explosives Act 1957.
For those who are found selling bombed fish will be taken action according to Fisheries Act 1985 (Section 26).
Since 2015 until last year, some 53 fish bombing cases have been prosecuted and 15, 706.56kg of fish confiscated.
Earlier, the signed MoU would see 40 Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD) to be distributed to 200 fishermen communities over a period of two years starting next month.
The FAD project serves to create an alternative fishing ground away from restricted zones.
At the signing ceremony, Petronas was represented by Head of Petroleum Operations Management of Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM), Handan Ramli, while the state Fisheries Department was represented by its director Azhar Kassim.