KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has the autonomy to expand the number of endangered marine species in its list, Federal deputy Agriculture and Food Industry minister Chan Foong Hin said.
Recently, the incident of Semporna wet market selling marine species such as sharks and rays has sparked concerns among netizens, especially divers and foreign tourists.
However, state Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan had then clarified that the Bamboo Shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum) and another picture of the Horned Ray species were not listed as endangered under the Fisheries Act 1985.
"The (nationwide) landings of sharks last year was less than 0.5 per cent of the total marine fish landings, which amounted to 4,578 metric tons out of 1.3 million metric tons. They are caught incidentally through fishing gear such as trawl nets.
"At present, there is no regulation or enactment to stop the selling of bycatch.
"But for Sabah, the state has autonomy. It will be up to the Sabah government as any addition of threatened species and enforcement would be the autonomy of Sabah," he told the press after visiting the Frozen Dim Sum processing project at Putatan Ramayah here.
He said the global concerns regarding the trade of sharks and rays are evident from the listing of five more shark species – Sphyrna mokarran, Sphyrna lewini, Sphyrna zygaena, Carcharhinus longimanus, and Lamna nasus – in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
"Among the three shark species found in Malaysia, whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) and great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran and Sphyrna lewini) are listed under Appendix II of CITES.
"As of now, only whale sharks and sawfish are listed under the Fisheries (Control of Endangered Species of Fish) Regulations 1999 (Amendment 2008)."
Meanwhile, at the federal level, Chan said Malaysia has adopted the International Plan of Action (IPOA) for Sharks in 2001 which is in line with the Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries adopted by all FAO members in 1995.
As a further commitment, he added that Malaysia has developed the National Plan of Action (NPOA) for Sharks and Rays, known as Shark & Ray Plan 1, in 2006 which is currently under review and will be published as NPOA - Shark & Ray Plan.
The second plan emphasises the importance of sharks and rays in marine biodiversity conservation and their sustainable utilisation for future generations.
Chan also said that the Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Ministry (KPKM), through the Fisheries Department, has established conditions for vessel licences and fishing equipment with the additional condition.
Among them are the prohibition of shark finning, which involves cutting or possessing shark fins on fishing vessels.
"This condition is stamped on all vessel and fishing equipment licences in Zones A, B, C, C2 & C3 since Feb 25, 2014."
He added that the Fisheries Department was finalising the National Plan of Action for Sharks and Rays.
It is currently undergoing consultation with stakeholders, including fishermen from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak.
"On behalf of KPKM, we always welcome feedback and data sharing from the public and NGOs to jointly protect and ensure sustainable marine conservation."