Dewan Rakyat passes Fisheries Act 1985 amendments

KUALA LUMPUR (July 29): The Dewan Rakyat today passed the Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2025, among others, to strengthen action against illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing (IUU).

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said the country suffered losses estimated at around RM823 million due to encroachment by foreign fishermen for the period 2020 to 2024, covering loss of commercial catches, destruction of marine habitat and pressure on local fisheries resources.

He said the bill was not just a legislative amendment but a reform to strengthen the governance of the national fisheries sector, ensure the sustainability of resources and protect the rights of fishermen including small communities in rural areas and islands.

“This bill not only takes into account domestic needs but also aligns our country with international practices and European Commission recommendations and positions Malaysia as a country that is firm in tackling IUU,” he said when winding up the debate on the bill in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Arthur said the bill, among other things, amended provisions involving regulation, transhipment, landing and maintenance of vessels as well as expanding the definition of offences involving fishing methods that damage habitats to tackle IUU.

For example, he said the amendment to Section 26 of the Fisheries Act 1985, which provides for the offence of fishing using explosives, poisons or pollutants, any device using electric current and prohibited tools, is very important to curb IUU activities.

In addition, the bill also includes a new subsection 13(3A) which sets a period of prohibition on re-application for a licence of not more than five years from the date the licence was revoked.

Arthur said it was a preventive measure to protect the country’s fishery resources and was considered a severe punishment to deter offenders from repeating the same offence.

The sitting continues tomorrow. – Bernama