MARANG: Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin today graciously made a 17-metre dive to place an inauguration plaque on an existing artificial reef in the waters off Alur Tuman here.
The dive, five nautical miles from the shore, was to symbolise the inauguration of the Terengganu Recreational Juvenile Cuboid Artificial Reef Trawl Net Barrier Programme in those waters by Sultan Mizan.
A total of 20 juvenile cuboid artificial reefs deployed are part of the 100 reefs constructed and deployed this year through the Terengganu State Marine Fisheries Resource Enrichment Programme.
Meanwhile, state Agriculture, Agro-Based Industry, Food Security and Commodities Committee chairman Dr Azman Ibrahim said the state government aims to establish a reef boundary line along the 244-kilometre stretch of the state's coastline.
He said the plan for an artificial reef cluster every kilometre in the waters off the Terengganu state will protect the fishing areas of Zone A from encroachment, especially by trawlers.
"Currently, there are only 60 artificial reefs, so there is a lot of work to be done, and most of the allocation needed is to enhance marine fishery resources while simultaneously advancing the socioeconomic status of coastal fishermen," he said.
He added that a total of 1,579 artificial reefs have been deployed in the waters off Terengganu since 2006, at a cost of over RM18 million, involving a combination of allocations from the state and federal governments, while the landing of marine resources has increased to 46,000 tonnes last year compared to 33,000 tonnes in 2022.