MIPR to enforce marine protected areas in 2013

Debbie Too
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) is set to enforce regulations for Brunei's marine protected areas beginning next year, the minister said.

Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar (pic) said the areas will be designated "no-take zones" where no fishing will be allowed in a bid to curb overfishing in the country.

Stock of demersal fish (fish which live and feed on or near the sea floor) in Brunei has declined considerably to about 21 per cent of virgin stock levels, according to data provided by the ministry.

The decline in stock levels has prompted the ministry to seek ways to ensure the survival of Brunei's marine ecosystem and its sustainability for the future.

The Department of Fisheries has begun formulating and implementing strategies to increase productivity, resource sustainability and ensure equal share among the country's fishermen the ministry said in a statement.

One of the measures include the implementation of a quota system for fishing licenses used for commercial-scale operations such as trawlers, purse seiners and long liners.

"The calculation of the allowable number of fishing vessels are based on fish stocks available and the conditions of the area which are further decreased by the presence of oil structures and reef areas sharing the entire continental shelf," said the ministry in the statement.

The ministry said it will also begin enforcing a regulation which requires all local trawlers to use square-meshed fishing nets with a maximum of 51mm in terms of "mesh size". The ruling was imposed in 2002 to all local trawlers operating in the country.

YB Pehin Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya said that the ministry will also continue the implementation of the moratorium on industrial trawl fishing in Brunei waters, which has been in place since 2001, as well as the suspension of fishing operations in Zone 1.

The moratorium on fishing operations in Zone 1, located three nautical miles from the coast (including the Brunei Bay), has been in place since January 2008.

The minister said that the ministry still needs to identify the exact areas stipulated under the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in Zone 1 and Zone 2.

MIPR will inform the public after the exact areas have been identified and graded, the minister said.

"Hopefully, by next year, it will be put in place. It is still a work in progress," he said.

The minister acknowledged that the size of the protected zones will pose a big challenge to the ministry, particularly in terms of enforcement as it will require "a lot of enforcement resources".

Foreign encroachment, illegal use of banned fishing gears or unlicensed gears and methods as well as climate change have been identified as some of the major causes of overfishing in Brunei, he said.

He also said that the ministry is trying to convince people to move away from capture fishing into aquaculture.

"As far as domestic demand is concerned, we are alright and some of the fish are even being exported, like the tuna which is being caught and sold to nearby countries," he said.

"We will be learning best practices from other countries, and getting the best out of technology because we can't afford to spend money on manpower," he said.

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times