KOTA KINABALU: The authorities have conducted 117 operations on land and sea in the past three years to combat fish bombing in Sabah waters.
Sabah Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan said these operations, which were conducted between 2021 and March this year were carried out by the Fisheries Department,
Yesterday, appointed assemblyman Datuk Amisah Yassin had proposed that the state government consider increasing the fines or to impose imprisonment for those found guilty of damaging coral reefs, which take decades to recover from damage created by fish bombing.
Jeffrey said despite authorities recording 15 seizures of bombed fishes, only 16 people were charged between 2021 and 2023.
On a separate issue, Jeffrey, who is deputy chief minister said the state's food security is expected to receive a shot in the arm with the Kota Belud Rice Field.
The project is under the supervision of the federal government through the Integrated Agricultural Development Area (IADA) Kota Belud.
"IADA Kota Belud has been entrusted to carry out development and management programmes with padi fields and rice cultivation in the district covering an area of 7,669.97 ha."
He said 20 other rice planting districts outside this project covers an area of 16,065.71 ha.
The Tambunan assemblyman said the requirement to establish a rice field requires a minimum area of 4,000ha, and this was an issue because Sabah does not have much large swathes of flat land like in Peninsular Malaysia.
