Plenty of Fish in Brunei Waters
MUARA, 13 June 2007,
Wednesday - There is still plenty of fish in the waters surrounding
Brunei Darussalam, according to the findings of a nine-day study
conducted by the Japanese research vessel of National Fisheries
University, Tenyo Maru.
Dr Chifumi Imai, an
associate professor of National Fisheries University, and Mr Mizutani
Sotaro, the captain of Tenyo Maru, told the Bulletin that the ship's
sonar located schools of fish within an area of 30 nautical miles off
the coast of the Sultanate, mostly Bregmaceros and Leptocephalus larvae.
Five types of species were
caught during the nine-day research.
The majority of fishes
caught was thread fin, the genus of Nemipterus, they added. Thread fin
is expensive in Japan and has in recent years become a key ingredient in
making 'surimi', a frozen fish paste.
Dr Imai and Mr Sotaro,
meanwhile, revealed that there was a species that they could not
identity. The sample will be brought to Japan for further analysis.
They advised fishermen not
to catch fry, as this would reduce fish stocks below the adequate level.
The preliminary report of
the joint fisheries research was made possible through collaboration
with Brunei's Fisheries Department, Ministry of Industry & Primary
Resources, and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre,
National Fisheries University of Japan.
When asked if the research
ship would be returning to Brunei in future, they said it all depends if
there is further cooperation between Brunei's Department of Fisheries
and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre.
After Brunei, the Tenyo
Maru with its crew of 37 cadets will continue its navigation training
around the gulf of Thailand.
- Courtesy of
Borneo Bulletin -
