An emergency meeting called by fishermen's groups in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah to discuss the problems of the local fishing industry will be held in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.

Some of the issues to be discussed will include rising diesel cost, piracy and encroachment by foreign fishermen into local fishing grounds.

The meeting, the first of its kind and called at the initiative of several fishermen's co-operatives in Perak and Selangor, is expected to be attended by between 150 and 200 representatives of fishermen's co-operatives including those from Selangor, Perak and Pahang, as well as representatives from at least two Sarawak groups - the Kuching Fishing Kotak Association and the Sarawak Fishing Boats Association - and representatives from fishermen's associations in Sabah.

"In spite of the short notice for the emergency meeting, we're trying to contact our counterparts in Sabah as well as other fishermen's groups in Sarawak to attend the meeting,'" Kuching Fishing Kotak Association chairperson Tan Boon Ting told malaysiakini.

The association itself will be sending at least seven representatives, to be led by Tan. The Sarawak Fishing Boats Association whose members recently voiced their frustration and anger at the activities of foreign-owned fishing trawlers encroaching into their fishing grounds near the Sarawak coast is expected to send representatives to the meeting as well.

One of the meeting organisers Koperasi Nelayan Hilir Perak chairperson Kee Kwee Poh told malaysiakini by phone today that top of the agenda is the diesel issue which if not resolved could eventually spell the demise of the local fishing industry.

It will also cause the nation to be dependent on import for its fish consumption as well as the collapse of several related industries, he pointed out.

"We are appealing to the prime minister to consider the plight of our local fishermen. Who wants to go out and catch if it is not profitable?," he asked.

Supporting half a million people

Kee said since the beginning of the year, diesel has gone up by more than 100 per cent for fishermen. He said more subsidies are required to bring the diesel price down to not more than 80 sen per litre for fishing boats.

It is estimated that there are about 100,000 Malaysian fishing boats, big and small, supporting directly and indirectly about half a million people.

Although fishermen in Peninsular Malaysian also face the same problem but to a lesser extent, they will show their solidarity with their counterparts in Sarawak who are having to encounter the challenge from foreign-owned chartered fishing trawlers that have been encroaching into their traditional fishing grounds near the Sarawak coastline.

Local fishermen say C2 licences have been issued to companies and individuals with powerful political connections and they in turn lease their licences along with permits to charter vessels to foreigners, mostly from Thailand with the rest from China and Philippines.

The C2 licence only allows them to fish in deep sea beyond the 30 nautical miles off the Sarawak coastline, but local fishermen have claimed these trawlers which are bigger and operate using sophisticated gears have increasingly been fishing illegally in waters close to the coastline, often coming into conflict with local fishermen.

At the request of Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) leader Dr George Chan, and complaints from various quarters, the marine police are now stepping up patrols to try and keep the foreign trawlers at bay.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini's Sarawak-based stringer.