RM300,000 WORTH OF ARTIFICIAL REEFS DEPLOYED OFF PULAU JARAK

IPOH, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- The Perak Fisheries Department has deployed six artificial reefs for a total cost of RM300,000 in the waters off Pulau Jarak near Lumut today under a recreational artificial reef deployment programme initiated by the Malaysian Fisheries Department.

The event was officiated by the State Rural Development, Plantation, Agriculture and Food Industry Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Zolkafly Harun and according to Perak Fisheries Director, Mohd Ghazali Manap, the department had allocated RM1.1 million for artificial reef development in the state since 2014.

“From 2014 to 2025, a total of 91 artificial reefs have been deployed by the Perak Fisheries Department and private agencies in the waters off Pulau Pangkor, Rungkup and Kepulauan Sembilan,” he said in a statement today.

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According to him, the reefs deployed were of soft-bottom types designed to deter trawling activities particularly in prohibited areas in order to restore marine ecosystems and sea life, while supporting fishery and tourism activities. 

He said the reefs function as new artificial habitats for the fisheries sector, where the deployment sites become fish aggregation areas and, indirectly, serve as nursery grounds for marine fish breeding.

Through the marine fisheries sector, he said Perak recorded total fish landings of 434,349.91 metric tonnes valued at more than RM32.7 million in 2024.

“All these conservation efforts and sound fisheries management practices are able to ensure demand and security of the state’s fisheries resources and, indirectly, provide additional fisheries supply to meet demand beyond Perak,” he added.

-- BERNAMA