THE government suspension on hiring foreign labourers has left the fishing sector severely understaffed, with fishermen facing a tough future.

To add insult to injury, the younger generation are also wary of returning to sea, leaving many boats sitting idly at ports.

Those in the industry warn that if this continues, the supply of fish in the market will be greatly reduced, driving up prices for consumers.

Malaysia Fish Industry General Association president Chia Tian Hee said because fishing is a high-risk occupation with the chance one may not return from an expedition, youth tend to shun the job.

To make matters worse, Chia said migrant workers familiar with the job have been repatriated while others cannot be legalised, leaving many fishing boats docked in jetties in two northern states in the peninsula.

He said about 70% of fishing boats are idle at the Perlis, Kedah, Pantai Remis, Pangkor and Bagan Panchor jetties, which together supply some 50% of Malaysia’s fish.

“Fortunately, the yield was great during the movement-control order, so there was no seafood shortage. But, we estimate that by year-end, supply will no longer be able to meet demand, and seafood prices will spike as a result,” Chia said.

However, the good news is that, apart from the northern states, fishing jetties in Selangor and Johor are not facing any major disruptions, he added.

“In Selangor, only between 2% and 5% of fishing boats are idle, and the situation is similar in Johor. This is because operators in the states legalised their workers earlier so they still have enough labour.

“But, fishermen in those states are still worried about possible labour shortages when their work permits expire,” Chia said.

Pinching workers 

Chia also said that the labour shortage in the northern states is so severe that some employers are going to Johor and Selangor to look for workers, enticing them with higher wages of up to RM1,500 a month.

“We have 22 affiliate groups throughout the country comprising more than 3,000 members, and we have told our members in all states not to poach workers from one another,” he said.

Chia also said the reason for the northern peninsula’s labour shortage was that fishermen there relied on Thai labourers, but the MCO had put an end to that.

He said the shortage is so bad that some fishermen have had to hire guards to watch their jetties to prevent others from poaching their workers.

“In Selangor, they typically hire labourers from Myanmar or Indonesia, while in the north, we rely on Thais. We are appealing to the government to help us by opening the northern border and allowing Thai labourers to work here.” 

Hai Suah Hutan Melintang Association president Lee Chu Soi also urged the government to look into the labour shortage affecting the fishing industry in the northern states as fishermen cannot simply hire locals to do the work.

“The locals have all gone to other states or even abroad to look for work, and the youth are only willing to sell seafood online, not go on trips to catch the fish themselves.

“We do not want to rely on foreign labour, but fishing is a high-risk occupation and only migrant workers familiar with the job are willing to work.”

A northern peninsula fisherman who wanted to remain anonymous said Immigration enforcement officers often penalised both those who hire illegal migrants and the labourers themselves during raids.

“The government wanted us to legalise our workers; we have already done that, but renewing their work permit is difficult. The fishing industry is facing hard times. We rely on migrant workers but we are not allowed to hire them.

“If the agricultural industry is considered essential and is allowed to hire migrant workers, why can’t the seafood industry hire them as well since we are also essential?”

The fisherman said hiring illegal workers in the northern peninsula’s fishing sector has long been an open secret, and the industry’s productivity will be hit hard if migrant workers familiar with the work are not allowed to be employed.

“We are willing to pay the levies and take them to renew their work permits. We just want the government to allow legalisation.” – August 16, 2020.