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INNOVATIVE PROJECT BY UMT HELPS IMPROVE LOCAL FISHERMEN’S INCOME

INNOVATIVE PROJECT BY UMT HELPS IMPROVE LOCAL FISHERMEN’S INCOME

Monday, 28/08/2023

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Kuala Terengganu, 27 August 2023 – One of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)’s main focuses is to contribute towards society’s sustainable social and economic development through impactful knowledge transfer projects, in line with its mission of “Generating Knowledge for the Wellbeing of Society and Sustainability of the Environment” and its strategic location near the South China Sea.

UMT Vice Chancellor Profesor Dato` Dr. Mazlan Abd Ghaffar said UMT is aware of the issues regarding the country’s food security and has implemented an innovative project to increase income from fishery and the sustainability of fishery resources at Batu Rakit Beach, Terengganu, in an effort to ensure sufficient food supply.

He added that about 100 unjam, or fish aggregating devices, placed at Tok Jembal Beach waters will help to increase fishery resources, become a source of income for 2,500 fishermen nearby due to increased catch, help maintain biodiversity lives, and allow other marine lives to grow.

Innovative unjam introduced by UMT team led by Dr Fazrul Hisham Abd Aziz uses coconut leaves and teja leaves that can be replaced after a few months of use and at the same time the weight made from concrete material placed at the bottom becomes a home or a mini artificial reef on the sea bed. The weight will act as home for bottom fishes and will reduce the impact of trawlers’ tresspassing.

“The current unjam use sand-filled gunnies or cut plastic barrels as weights. This technique does not last as the unjam structure will deteriorate overtime.

“This project can attract various types of fishes to gather as early as a week and subsequently breed around the unjam. The effort by UMT has helped fishermen overcome the issues and problems relating to climate charge, ocean pollution, limited catch area, and extreme explo itation of fishery resources by those irresponsible parties such as those using trawlers,” he said.

As per Dr Fazrul Hisham, a survey conducted among a group of fishermen revealed that they have been facing problems in catching fish due to fish habitat being destroyed. Most fish shelters were damaged because of the tresspassing of trawlers along the coast and this has affected their income.

In addition, natural factors such as temperature change and a rise in sea level have also contributed to even worse effects on fish distribution.

He said the coastal area at the distance of 0-8 nautical miles is a buffer zone. This area is occupied by mature fishes that will come seasonally to reproduce and also becomes new habitats for all types of marine species.

He added that the unjam invented by him also functions as anti trawler nets. It will destroy the nets if they are used in an area where unjam is present.

Professor Mazlan also released 20 boats carrying 100 modern unjam that were submerged along the Tok Jembal waters with involvement from 30 fishermen nearby.

The project received fund from UMT’s Knowledge and Technology Assimilation Grant Scheme (KTAGS – Special Project) totalling RM20,000. This fund in managed by the Centre for Knowledge Transfer, Industry and Society Linkages

 

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Universiti Malaysia Terengganu