MERSING, Aug 4 — The Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOF) is conducting reciprocal virtual inspections with Thai authorities as part of a technical assessment on fisheries trade following Malaysia’s temporary suspension of imports of five shrimp species from Thailand.
Its director-general Datuk Adnan Hussain said the inspections covered assessments of biosecurity programme implementation and composition at farms, as well as reviews of related documents, including laboratory chemical analysis reports and the use of prohibited substances.
The assessment also involved a comprehensive evaluation of farms, laboratories, hatcheries and border entry points in both countries.
“The shrimp inspections have been completed, and this week we are moving on to seabass farms, where they will inspect our farms and vice versa,” he told reporters after attending the deployment of cuboid artificial reef barriers to curb trawl net fishing in the waters of Pulau Tinggi and Pulau Sibu here.
Adnan said the virtual inspections, which began on July 28 and are scheduled to conclude this Friday, were an important step in verifying shrimp and seabass production systems in both countries.
“The inspections were carried out after the questionnaire assessment for Thailand’s shrimp export application to Malaysia was completed at the documentation stage,” he said.
He said the assessment process was expected to conclude this week, after which both parties would hold further discussions to review the findings before any announcement was made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM).
KPKM announced last month the temporary suspension of imports of five shrimp species from Thailand, effective June 1, as part of stricter controls on fisheries products from the country.
The affected species are Penaeus esculentus (brown tiger shrimp), Fenneropenaeus merguiensis (banana shrimp), Penaeus vannamei (white shrimp), Penaeus monodon (tiger shrimp) and Penaeus stylirostris (blue shrimp).
Meanwhile, Johor Agriculture, Agro-based Industry and Rural Development Committee chairman Md Israk Abdullah said 20 juvenile cuboid artificial reef barriers had been deployed to strengthen marine habitat protection.
The initiative aimed to enhance fisheries resources and curb illegal trawl net activities in coastal areas, with 10 reefs each placed in the waters of Pulau Tinggi and Pulau Sibu at a cost of RM652,220.
“Each structure, weighing about 17 tonnes, is designed to serve as a protective habitat for marine life, a fish aggregation area and a physical barrier against fishing activities that could damage the seabed ecosystem,” he said.
