Last night, the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) of the Kuala Kurau Maritime Zone seized a seine net cast some 1.8 nautical miles (Southwest) off Ban Pecah, Tanjung Piandang.
The director of the Kuala Kurau Maritime Zone, Maritime Commander Mohd. Sharenliza Ghazali, said that the seizure was done based on information received regarding the use of the net by some fishermen in the restricted zone.
“Inspection at the location found the net, believed to have been cut and left on the surface of the waters.”
“The act of cutting said net was done by the fishermen in order to escape and avoid detainment by the MMEA,” he said in a statement last night.
He added that the abandoned net was successfully retrieved with help from the local fishermen, and brought to the jetty of Kuala Kurau Maritime Zone for further action.
The case is being investigated under Section 29 of the Fisheries Act 1985.
MMEA remains committed in its effort to combat criminal activities at sea. Any misconduct can be reported to the MMEA at the line for Malaysian Emergency Response Services 999 (MERS 999), which is in operation 24 hours a day or to the Kuala Kurau Maritime Zone Operations Centre at 05-7279919.
Rosli
