CALL TO MAKE SEMPORNA WATERS FREE OF FISH-BOMBING

SEMPORNA (Malaysia), Dec 28 (Bernama) -- Minister in the Chief Minister's
Office Nasir Tun Sakaran wants everyone, including fishermen and enforcement
agencies, to work together to ensure that there is zero fish-bombing in the
waters off Semporna.


Nasir said strong commitment and efforts towards this end were crucial so
that the corral reefs in Semporna and the marine resources there could be
preserved.

"Stricter enforcement is needed. Such activities (fish bombing) can be
considered as a crime as they cause destruction," he told reporters after
closing the one-day Seminar of District Chiefs, Community Heads, Village Heads
and Chinese Community Heads in the Semporna District.

Catching fish using explosives was not only an offence under the law and
posed a danger to the people involved, it also destroyed the corral reefs that
formed a breeding place for marine life.

If such activities were not given serious attention, it was feared that the
corral reefs in the waters off Semporna, which is recognised by local and
foreign scientists as being among the most beautiful in the world, would be lost
forever and would be a major loss to the country, he said.

Nasir suggested that the relevant authorities reviewed the law on preventing
fish-bombing and, if necessary, stiffer penalty should be introduced.

-- BERNAMA