Fisheries Dept to control illegal inshore fishing with 2 inspection vessels in Nov

The Danish-Myanmar project handed over two inspection vessels to Myeik Fish Harbour on 24 October for the inspection of inshore fishing. The vessels will conduct inspections in November to combat illegal fishing on inshore waters along the coast of the Taninthayi Region.
The water resources from those waters are exploited as they are breeding grounds for fish.
Myanmar Police and Fisheries Department will collaborate to conduct inspections in order to reduce illegal fishing and enhance increasing the availability of fish resources through the enforcement of regulations and the Inshore Fisheries Law.
“The maritime police and fishers’ groups will begin the inspection in November depending on the security situation. Since it is the first time, we will put forward the project and implement it with the regional government fund. It is important to sustain fish resources so we need to prevent them from exploitation. We are going to inspect inshore or offshore fishing if they are in conformity with the regulation on fishing nets.
“The Union government and regional government are making efforts to develop the livestock breeding sector. Due to the diminishing ocean water resources, it is essential to protect marine resources including fish and shrimps both inshore and offshore. Regulated fishing will thereby improve the socioeconomy of local fishers,” Director U Aung Nyi Toe of the Taninthayi Region Fisheries Department elaborated.
In Taninthayi Region, the closed fishing season is set from April to June in Myanmar seas and it has exceeded three months. Inspections are underway to oversee the fishing of lobsters and king prawns. Inspections also include whether fishing vessels are catching fish and shrimps with stipulated fishing nets in designated areas both inshore and offshore, the protection of the crab conservation zone and the six fishing plots near Kawthoung, and controlling illegal fishing.
Taninthayi Region has more than 8,000 inshore fishing vessels and over 1,400 offshore fishing vessels. Due to the increase in global fuel prices, fishing vessels cannot fully catch fish, but fish and shrimp are caught and shipped normally as foreign exports.
The Fisheries Department and the Danish Ambassador to Myanmar visited Thame Village in Myeik District. Although fishers from the village capture Kakuran fish (four-finger threadfins) with a designated fishing net in order to conserve fish resources, fishers from other villages catch those four-finger threadfins with a two-inch fishing net breaching the regulations.
Therefore, the Danish government provided two inspection vessels to the Fisheries Department to monitor the catch of four-finger threadfin fish, which are exported to external markets.
The Fisheries Department and Myanmar Police will cooperate in the inspection of the inshore fishing in November with two inspection vessels. — Nyein Thu (MNA)/GNLM