KUALA LUMPUR: There is an urgent need for Malaysia to strike fear into the hearts of foreign fishing vessels that steal its marine resources, causing billions of ringgit in lost revenue.
The best way to do this, said Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, is to re-establish Op Naga, which will see the authorities take strong measures, including burning and sinking captured foreign fishing vessels.
Salahuddin told the New Sunday Times that Malaysia lost about RM6 billion in fishing revenue in 2018 and 2019 due to poaching by foreign vessels.
He said one of the most effective ways to prevent this was to bring back the "fear factor" through the re-establishment of Op Naga, which was suspended in 2021.
Launched in 2019, Op Naga was a multiagency operation led by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, aimed at improving the livelihoods of fishermen.
Salahuddin, who was agriculture and agro-based industry minister in 2018, said at the time, the problem confronting Malaysia's marine resources was worrying.
Salahuddin said he was also prompted to emulate the action of the Indonesian government, which took the unprecedented step of burning or sinking confiscated vessels that were found to have been used to steal the country's resources.
"In addition, the leakages in subsidies, sale of diesel to foreigners and Vietnamese vessels warranted urgent attention.
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"I had put my foot down and brought the issue immediately to the cabinet. A special task force involving the Defence, Agriculture, Home and Foreign ministries was formed to go all out to protect our waters," he said.
Op Naga proved to be a success, recording 445 arrests and seizures amounting to RM476.5 million. In 2021, 97 arrests were made and 982 crew members of various nationalities detained, the majority of whom were
Vietnamese.
The operation helped fishermen increase their catch and contributed to their socioeconomic development.
Op Naga also helped to curb smuggling, the sale of subsidised diesel and petrol to foreign fishermen and unlawful acts at sea.
Salahuddin said he would propose to the cabinet that Op Naga be re-established so that tougher measures could be carried out.
"There has been no fear factor among those who encroach on our waters.
"We need strong political will and we will get back our revenue in fisheries.
"We need tougher enforcement. I am confident that if we do this, we can solve the problem within six months. It works."
The Fisheries Department had said RM6 billion in fishing revenue (RM4.2 billion from territorial waters and RM1.8 billion in the deep sea) was stolen from Malaysian waters annually.
In 2019, the department said Malaysia had lost 96 per cent of its demersal fish stock in less than 60 years.
It also noted that only 50 per cent of the fish caught in national waters were landed in Malaysia, and the rest were not reported and believed to be "stolen" by foreign fishermen.