IT is not true that Vietnamese fishermen have extended their fishing into Sabah’s waters, said the state’s Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Yahya Hussin.

Yahya said the state government has allowed the purchase of Vietnamese vessels to assist local businessmen and all their fish landings are recorded by the Fisheries Department all this while.

“These are only rumours. There is a lot of talk that the fish was not landed on the local jetties. But we have all the records by tonnage and kilogrammes.

“This is a very serious allegation,” he said while dismissing claims by some local fishermen that their catch have halved since early this year due to foreign fishermen.

Yahya was responding to a supplementary question by DAP Kapayan assemblyman Dr Edwin Bosi on the measures taken by the state government to curb encroachment by foreign fishermen.

On Monday, Sabah Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said there was a Vietnamese syndicate exploiting loopholes in the country’s maritime law by fishing in Sabah’s waters, along with the help of Malaysians.

Sabah and Labuan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) regional director Rear Admiral Mohd Zubil Mat Som said based on eight-month observation, they have never spotted any of the Vietnamese vessels land any fish on the local jetties.

State Fisheries Department statistics show that currently, there are 13 Sabah-owned firms issued with permits for 31 Vietnamese vessels, as well as crew members.

Chief Minister Musa Aman meanwhile admitted that the authorities have confiscated many Vietnamese vessels encroaching into Sabah’s waters.

“There are no forgiveness on this matter. We do not allow any foreign vessels into our waters even from Indonesia and the Philippines. We are aware many of them want to fish on our waters. But we will confiscate the boats and will not return them,” he said. – August 9, 2017.