Stop Fish Bombing Malaysia (SFB) is hoping to get more financial support to enhance surveillance in Sabah waters.

Dieter Rudolph and Clark Dunson of SFB USA and Terence Lim of SFB Malaysia participated in a presentation on fish bombing in Sabah as part of Commonwealth Day in Malaysia.

A challenging year but progress was made despite Covid restricted movement in both Kota Kinabalu and Bay Area.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing costs economies up to US$50 billion globally each year, and makes up to one-fifth of the global catch. It’s a huge problem not only for the 59.5 million people who depend on fisheries for their livelihoods, but also for the environment.

A special meeting of the SFB Board was called in December to consider the proposal by Dr. George Woodman to disestablish Stop Fish Bombing International, to dissolve the Board of Directors and shift SFB responsibilities to Executive Director Terence Lim, SFB Malaysia.

SFB-USA and SFB-MY recently joined BluHope.org for a webinar about fish bombing in Sabah.

The Enhance Control Movement Order by the local authorities have had a significant effect to the island communities that need to go out to fish daily to feed their families.

Sabah marine authorities are urged to take stern action against fish bombers after allegations that such activities are becoming rampant again.

The diving fraternity here is hoping coral reefs around the Mantanani Islands will be better protected and promoted by the authorities.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry has set the goal of 13% gazetting of coastal areas by 2023. The ambitious plan will increase the protected areas from the current 7.4%.

Sabah Parks Enforcement Unit has detained a pump boat and a kayak operated by four suspects at Gaya Island (Tanjung Wokong) of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park on 15 April 2020.

With much of the world locked down due to pandemic concerns, Stop Fish Bombing is continuing to work toward our goals.

With most of the world in practicing restricted movement due to the threat of the COVID-19 virus, the SFB teams have discussed how to move forward with these new conditions in both the US and Sabah.

The installation of four fish bomb detectors in Kota Kinabalu waters, including the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, is seen as a right step towards keeping an eye on fish bombing activities in the area.

This is video of a fish bomb exploding in the waters of Malaysia.

Sabah Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Junz Wong said the problem of rampant fish blasting/bombing activities in the State’s waters can be minimised, if not totally eradicated, once the socio-economic conditions of the State’s fishing community have improved.

The state government must come up with more serious measures to stamp out fish bombing activities within Sabah waters.

Three fishermen were killed when an unidentified suspect threw a suspected dynamite that exploded near the victims’ boat while fishing in the waters off Barangay Danao in Balud town, Masbate province on Monday evening.

The dangerous practice of fish bombing is not letting up in Sabah any time soon.

The state government is looking beyond tightened enforcement to solve the rampant fish bombing activities in Sabah, says Datuk Junz Wong.