Moratorium
to Revitalise Fish Stocks
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 20
March 2007, Tuesday - In a move to curb the steady reduction of marine
resources in Brunei waters, the Department of Fisheries under the
Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) has decided to enforce
a temporary ban, or a moratorium, of fishing activities within three
miles from the shore effective January 1, 2008.
This was officially
announced yesterday at a road show on the Implementation of Moratorium
on Fishing Operation in Zone 1, officiated by Acting Director of
Fisheries, Haji Abdul Halidi bin Mohd Salleh.
The moratorium will be
enforced in Zone 1 that will extend three nautical miles from the shore.
The road show was held at
the Dewan Setia Pahlawan, MIPR building. The presentation on the
moratorium on fishing operation in Zone 1 was conducted by Awg Matzaini
bin Haji Juna, Fisheries Officer.
A moratorium means a
temporary ban or suspension of any fishing activity in a given period of
time until the full recovery of marine resources has been achieved.
The moratorium has to be
implemented because the Department of Fisheries has discovered a 43
percent reduction in fish resources from 1980 until 2000 especially in
Zone 1 at the depth of 0-50m.
The steady decrease of
marine resources points to over fishing in this area.
Similarly, research
activities conducted by the department have shown that the number of
licences issued for fishing gears such as ring net (ancau), trammel gill
net (andang karan), bottom set gill net (andang jarang), fish trap (bubu),
shallow-water fish corral (lintau), pomfret seine net (pukat duai/panau),
beach seine (pukat ambit/kikis), barrier gill net (pukat kembura/kuasi),
cast net (rambat), lift net (selambau) and conical tidal trap (tugu)
have exceeded the allowable number used in Zone 1.
However, fishing equipment
such as handline (jaul), intertidal fish trap (kabat), deep-water fish
corral (kilong), seine net (penguyut), drift gill net (rantau), longline
(rawai) and barrier (tambak) will not be included in the moratorium.
In order to ensure that the
public, especially fishermen, in the country fully understand the impact
of such moratorium and for them to prepare themselves for whatever
eventualities that could affect them, the Department of Fisheries will
be conducting road shows throughout the four districts.
More than 200 participants
attended the road show yesterday comprising commercial small-scale
fishermen, penghulus of mukims and heads of villages from Brunei Muara
District.
Another presentation on the
moratorium under the legal context was presented by Awg Ishak bin
Jarudin, Assistant Fisheries Officer.
- Courtesy of
Borneo Bulletin -
