Fishy deal: Vietnamese vessels trawling Sabah waters

Sabah fishermen are increasingly suspicious of the methods used by Vietnamese fishermen and also want to know why the state government is giving these foreign fishermen 'special privileges'.

KOTA KINABALU: Something stinks at the main fishing dock here and it’s not the fish. Local fishermen here are raising a hue-and-cry over foreign fishing vessels being allowed to come in and compete with them.

They claim that at least 18 foreign fishing vessels and perhaps more are not only trawling the seas of the state for fast-depleting marine resources, but doing so with subsidized fuel.

Local fishermen claim that the vessels are probably from Vietnam as a majority of their crew are Vietnamese.

They want to know why foreign fishermen have been given special privileges, which include allowing them to use the SAFMA (Sabah Fish Marketing Authority) jetty to refuel and take on fresh water at the Ko-Nelayan refill station.

Currently Ko-Nelayan provides two fuel pumps for subsidized diesel to cater to the local fishing trawlers and boats.

“Sometimes, they (the Vietnamese fishing boats) even jump queue to refill and this has inevitably caused us a lot of inconvenience,” lamented Cheong Eng Tiang, the spokesman for the group.

Cheong, who is also a founding member of the Kota Kinabalu Fishing Boats Owner Association (KKFBOA), said members want the state government to explain why they are permitting Vietnamese fishermen to operate in Sabah waters.

Have designated jetty

He questioned how such an arrangement could benefit the state fisheries industry in the light of fast-depleting marine resources.

“One thing we know for sure is that our subsidized fuel is much cheaper than theirs (Vietnam),” he said.

Under a joint-venture deal, the Vietnamese fishermen have been issued the “C2 Permit” which grants them deep-sea fishing (30 nautical miles and beyond) rights while local fishermen can operate from six nautical miles to 12 nautical miles and beyond.

Local fishermen are both angry and wary of the foreign competition and the methods they use to catch fish.

“We do not know what type of fishing apparatus they are using as we have not seen any fishing net on board their fishing vessels,” Cheong claimed.

He also cautioned that Vietnamese fishermen are known for illegal fishing methods, which including using cyanide, as well as for ignoring international fishing guidelines that bar hunting sea turtles and sharks believing they can do so as their catch is meant for export.

“Even if these foreign fishing vessels are allowed to operate in Sabah waters, though by right they are not supposed to, the authorities should have a designated jetty for the purpose of refilling, instead of allowing them to compete with us and use our subsidized fuel,” Cheong said.

Local fishermen are already complaining about their limited quota of subsidized fuel which is now shared by 200 vessels.

Around 30 members of the association were present at the press conference yesterday.