Foreigners in ‘fishy' deals with Brunei fishing companies

By Rosli Abidin Yahya Foreign fishing vessels are moving in to fish in Brunei waters legally through the setting up of joint ventures with local fishing companies. However, it has been alleged that such joint ventures are only reaping the richness of fish in Brunei waters without benefiting the locals as most of the fish are meant for foreign markets. Reliable statistics showed that 60 per cent of Brunei's fishing grounds are still not disturbed and this is where foreign fishing vessels move in "legally" to tap the richness of Brunei waters. This is in spite of a recent World Resource Institute (WRI) statement that most parts of Southeast Asia are affected by over-fishing, which it said was the most pervasive threat to coral reefs in Southeast Asia. WRI is an environmental research policy institute, which besides conducting research, is also creating practical ways to protect natural resources. Lauretta Burke, a WRI researcher and co-author of the study, "Reefs at Risk: Southeast Asia," noted that about 64 per cent of Southeast Asia's reef are affected by over-fishing. Locals believe Brunei is not included as fishing activities here are not yet fully exploited by local fishing companies. Previously some people alleged that foreign vessels encroached into Brunei waters but they no longer can afford to risk being caught and fined heavily. Now the foreign fishing company can fish freely in Brunei waters under the pretext of joint ventures but much of the catch are meant for foreign markets. Some people alleged that even though the joint ventures had materialised, fish continues to be imported from the neighbouring states of Sabah and Sarawak. It is estimated that 60 per cent of Brunei's supply of fish needs to be supplemented through imports. "Fish continues to command a high price and this happens because we still need to import fish from elsewhere. Joint venture companies which catch fish in Brunei waters mostly sell their fish elsewhere as good fish command a high price anywhere in the world," one complainant alleged. Local production of marine fish here hovers between 1,000 and 1,500 metric tons per year. The fishery sector of Brunei Darussalam received $90 million allocation in the 8th National Development Plan (NDP) and has been envisaged as the regional hub for handling the import and export of seafood products.

 

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