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Trawler fishermen laud use of Turtle Excluder Device
Published on: Friday, October 16, 2015
Published on: Fri, Oct 16, 2015
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Trawler fishermen laud use of Turtle Excluder Device
Sandakan: Trawler fishermen in the State have welcomed the use of the Turtle Excluder Device (TED).Sabah Fisheries Deputy Director Dr Ahemad Sade said the TED, made of aluminium or galvanised iron, placed on the front of trawlers' seine nets can assist turtles or marine mammals to save themselves by swimming out of the nets.

He said a study conducted by FRI (Fisheries Research Institute) researchers at Rantau Abang also showed that the use of TED did not affect catches of shrimp and fish.

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"The use of TED will also make the catch cleaner. By using TED there will be less waste and sewage entering the seine nets and large objects will also be excluded from the nets," he said.

"The use of TED also reduces the catch of trash fish as the findings in Kemamam, Terengganu also showed trash fish catches can be reduced by 12 to 15 per cent," he added. Ahemad said the use of TED also managed to reduce the use of diesel fuel by trawlers by 10 per cent per trawl.

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He added that the use of TED would also reduce damage to the trawler nets because trash and large objects do not enter the net and it can help save on the cost of repairing fishing nets.

TED also does not affect the income of fishermen but helps to conserve resources because it can reduce trash fish catches and operating costs by saving on diesel consumption.

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Ahemad said this at the State-level usage of TED on shrimp trawling nets workshop here on Thursday.

He said the Fisheries Department is committed to promoting the use of fishing gear that are environmentally-friendly.

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"The use of fishing gear which is environmentally friendly is important to be introduced to the country's fishermen so that fish resources can always be conserved and the country's fish supply could be improved for the benefit of future generations," he explained.

He was confident that the TED use workshop will also increase the understanding of trawler fishermen on the importance of the use of TED.

Ahemad said the department will also intensify the promotion, research and organise dialogues with various groups of fishermen to increase the confidence of fishermen in using TED.

Under the TED use planning programme, the Department of Fisheries targets that by 2020, 30 per cent of trawlers in Malaysia will use the TED. At the initial stage, the department seeks to give TED for free as an incentive for using TED.

The original TED was created in the 1970s by a fisherman named Sinkey Boone of Atlanta, USA where the use of TED aimed to prevent jellyfish from going into his net. It was later modified by the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) in the United States to protect turtles.

The historical usage of TED was also not easy because it received a lot of protests from fishermen in the beginning.

While in Malaysia it began in 1984 at the Fisheries Research Institute in Batu Maung, Penang with trials conducted in Pantai Remis, Perak. After that, several other trials were also carried out.

In 2007, using the first allocation of the Malaysian Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP), Marine Research Foundation (MRF) conducted a study on the introduction of the TED trawling in Sabah through awareness programmes.

The project started in Sandakan where thousands of turtles lay eggs every year and home to more than 1,500 trawler fishermen. MRF then expanded the project by organising educational workshops for fishermen and government officials.

Meanwhile, at the end of 2012, the TED programme reached a critical stage with the new TED design by fishermen from Malaysia.

Ahemad recorded his tribute to MRF for its assistance to help ensure the success of these workshops in Sandakan, which, among others, was to provide an understanding and introducing new technologies and methods in fishing with the use of Turtle Excluder Device on trawlers.

Meanwhile, at a news conference after the ceremony, Ahemad said the workshop in Sandakan was also a historic moment for the government's efforts to focus and emphasise on TED users, which has long made attempts to experiment and have implemented various awareness programmes on the use of TED to prevent them falling prey to fishing activities especially trawling.

"We hope this workshop provides better awareness not only to operators in Sandakan with approximately 700 trawlers including Beluran and approximately 1,500 more entrepreneur trawlers in the State," he said, adding this workshop is also the starting point to focus on the use of TED to save turtles.

Ahemad said TED can also increase fish catches.

Marine Research Foundation (MRF) Kota Kinabalu Executive Director Dr Nicholas J. Pilcher said the programme is about the responsibility of conserving endangered species where Malaysia is among the countries committed in this respect for the survival of future generations.

The response from fishermen in Sabah so far is very good on the use of TED, which was initially difficult because they did not understand what it is TED.
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