Kuala lumpur: The number of foreign fishing vessel (FFV) arrests in Malaysian waters has decreased by 73.8 percent since 2021, highlighting the success of integrated enforcement operations involving multiple maritime agencies.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Fisheries director-general Datuk Adnan Hussain reported that FFV arrests declined from 126 cases in 2021 to 33 cases in 2025, indicating the effectiveness of efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. These operations were conducted through collaboration among various agencies, including Ops Naga, which coordinates 17 enforcement bodies such as the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Marine Police Force (MPF).
Adnan emphasized that the consistent integrated operations, including the deployment of assets in critical maritime zones located more than 60 nautical miles from the coastline, contributed to this decline. He noted that the sustained presence of these assets has strengthened deterrence against encroachment by foreign vessels into Malaysian waters.
Between 2020 and 2025, a total of 546 FFV arrests were recorded, with the MMEA responsible for 474 cases, accounting for 86.8 percent of the total. The MPF recorded 53 cases, while the Department of Fisheries (DOF) Malaysia registered 19 cases during the same period.
Adnan acknowledged that IUU fishing remains a challenge to the management and conservation of the country's fisheries resources due to the increasingly complex methods used, such as switching off Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) to avoid detection, manipulating fish landing data, encroaching into fishing areas subject to licensing conditions, and commercial trawlers operating in Zone A waters in violation of regulations.
He warned that IUU fishing not only depletes the country's fisheries resources but can also disrupt marine ecosystems and affect the livelihoods of fishing communities that depend on the sector. Adnan affirmed that the DOF would continue to strengthen enforcement of the Fisheries Act 1985 (Act 317) and enhance cooperation with maritime enforcement agencies to ensure the country's fisheries resources remain protected and sustainably managed.