The importance of traditional fishing in Malaysia and the need to save it

Abstract

The fishing industry is a very important component of the Malaysian economy. It provides about 90,000 jobs to the fishermen excluding jobs in other associated industries like boat making, frozen prawn and fish manufacturing, packing and marketing. Fish is the greatest source of protein for the Malaysian people. About 80 per cent of the actual protein intake of Malaysians is derived from fish (both marine and fresh water). Today, Malaysian consumers are facing two big problems with regard to fish:-amqolaver (i) Scarcity of fish for consumption - there is a drop in total marine landings in 1975 by 14.6 per cent. The catch in 1975 was only 375,235 metric tons compared to 439,574 metric tons in 1974. As a result, per capita consumption of marine fish has dropped from 0.021 metric tons in 1974 to 0.0164 metric tons in 1975. (ii) Fish prices have soared tremendously making it the most expensive protein food beyond the reach of the majority of the consumers.