Small-time Fishermen Express Concerns
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 20
March 2007, Tuesday - The news of the impending moratorium on fishing in
Zone 1 within three nautical miles from the shore was received with
mixed feelings and concerns, mainly from small-time fishermen.
Some, however, understood
the need of the moratorium.
"If the supply of fish
dwindles then it will mean future catches will dwindle until there may
be no more fish in the sea," they said.
Yet, the general feeling
from small-scale fishermen was discontent and concern.
"This is not good for
small-time fishermen who make a living out of fishing. They will be the
most affected by the moratorium," some said.
They said that those who
may not be affected are the bigger fishing operators who allegedly do
most of the damage by catching bigger fish and throwing away the smaller
ones.
But in doing so the bigger
fishing operators will be taking away the fish from the small-time
fishermen that rely on them, they added.
They also pointed out that
some fishermen, usually foreigners, may hardly care about the moratorium
and just carry on with business.
"They will take advantage
of the moratorium as it means less competition," they said, adding that
fishermen who follow the moratorium would suffer.
Once the moratorium takes
effect, one possible repercussion would be an increase in the price for
fish.
"If need be, the fishermen
will come together to discuss if there is a need to raise the prices to
deal with new expenses and the shortage of their catch," Hjh Naimah bte
Hussin, a fishmonger at Pantai Tutong, told the Bulletin yesterday.
Meanwhile, a local
fisherman said that if the tools they usually use are not allowed in
Zone 1 then that would mean that they would be forced to relocate to
another area, which would increase their expenses.
The moratorium will
therefore mean that they will be getting less proceeds because of the
increase in expenditures. The ban on a number of fishing tools would
also mean that there would be limited choice of fish caught and sold.
Some fishermen are still
unaware of the planned moratorium but realise that they cannot do
anything about it.
- Courtesy of
Borneo Bulletin -
