Kuala lumpur: The Terengganu Fishermen's Association (Penentu) expressed concern about the widespread encroachment of Vietnamese fishing boats into the state's waters during this monsoon season. Its chairman, Mat Yassin Mohamed, stated that foreign fishing boats appeared unafraid to intrude into state waters to catch marine products, as they believed authorities' operations would decrease during bad weather and rough seas.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mat Yassin explained that the foreign boats were free to enter these waters due to the reduced number of local fishing boats present during the monsoon season. Most of the foreign fishing boats that intruded into the state's waters were detected using the pair trawling method, a technique banned in Malaysia. This method involves a radius of one kilometre to catch marine products, including immature ones, further damaging the marine ecosystem.

Mat Yassin highlighted that the waters off Terengganu are particularly appealing to foreign fishermen during the monsoon season due to their high yield of marine life. He urged authorities such as the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Marine Police Force, and the Department of Fisheries Malaysia to increase monitoring efforts to combat these encroachment activities.

He emphasized that immediate action was necessary to prevent potential harm to marine life in the future.