Kota Kinabalu: Two fishermen were sentenced to 10 months’ jail each by the Sessions Court here on Monday for possession of 10 bombed fish in Kota Belud.
Rosli Merkari and Zaidel Mamil, both 39, pleaded guilty before Judge Elsie Primus to committing the offence onboard an unregistered pump boat in Bantuan Ambong waters about four nautical miles southwest of the St Joseph oil platform, Kota Belud at 12 noon on Sept 18, 2021.
Prosecuting officer William Apin from the Fisheries Department informed the court that a pump boat with Rosli and Zaidel onboard was inspected by the marine police in an operation and found 50kg of fish that were suspected of being caught using explosive substances.
The duo was then detained and 10 fish samples were taken by the Fisheries Department for autopsy, later confirming they were caught using explosives.
The duo had committed an offence under Section 26(1)( C) of the Fisheries Act 1985 which provides for a fine of RM20,000 or a jail term of up to two years, or both, on conviction.
Rosli and Zaidel, who have no identification documents, requested leniency.
However, William applied for an adequate sentence on the grounds that the offence involved public interest and also stressed the importance of marine habitat conservation.
The court ordered them to serve the sentence from the date of their arrest and to be referred to the Immigration Department thereafter.
