Watchdog raps Penang Fisheries Dept, urges disciplinary action over trawler zone breaches
PUTRAJAYA, June 16 — The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) has found that the Penang Department of Fisheries (DOF) failed to act against the intrusion of trawler boats from Zone B into Zone A waters.
Zone A and Zone B refer to designated maritime zones for trawler operations based on distance from the shoreline, with Zone A being closer to the coast and Zone B farther offshore.
In a statement today, EAIC said its investigation revealed that the Penang DOF has failed to properly monitor enforcement officers under its jurisdiction.
'Inspections at the Batu Maung enforcement base were only conducted once a year. The management was also found to be unaware of the daily enforcement duties performed by its personnel, as well as operational constraints at the base.
'Penang DOF also failed to ensure that the enforcement logbook entries were properly and completely recorded by the responsible officers,' the commission said.
Following its findings, the EAIC recommended that a letter of reprimand be issued to the senior management of Penang DOF involved for ineffective oversight, and disciplinary action be taken against officers who failed to properly record logbook details.
It also proposed that the DOF's standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling complaints, investigations and operations be improved to include video recordings as evidence, and that training be provided to Penang DOF personnel on compliance with SOPs, guidelines, enforcement protocols, operations and licensing procedures.
In a separate statement, the EAIC said it has received a complaint alleging that Perak Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) had released detainees along with a vessel found using 'bubu naga', a prohibited fishing gear.
'The investigation, conducted under Subsection 27(4) of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission Act 2009 (Act 700), found that the alleged misconduct could not be verified.
'As such, the EAIC decided to halt the investigation, and no disciplinary action will be taken against the officers involved,' it said.
Nevertheless, in line with Subsection 4(1) of Act 700, the commission has recommended that the MMEA director-general take appropriate improvement measures to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents. — Bernama
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