INTERACTIVE: Malaysian seafood scarcer as climate change bites
By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: The amount of fish caught in Malaysian waters has fallen by nearly 300,000 tonnes since 2016 as concerns rise over the impact of climate change. The country’s fishermen netted 1.57mil tonnes of fish and other marine species in 2016, according to Department of Fisheries (DoF) statistics. Since then, their catch has declined by about three percent each year to 1.31mil tonnes in 2022. The DoF in a report published in June said the outlook for this year is also gloomy. It anticipates that the impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon could cause a further drop by about 70,000 tonnes this year to 1.24mil tonnes. Many of Malaysia’s favourite seafood is affected by the declining catch. They include Pelaling/Temenong, Tenggiri and Kembung, which the Department of Statistics listed as the top three most consumed fish on a per ...