Guest guest Posted November 15, 2003 Report Share Posted November 15, 2003 ***************************Advertisement*************************** eCentral - Your Entertainment Guide http://www.star-ecentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/11/15/features/6608469 & sec=\ features ________________________ Saturday November 15, 2003 For the love of fishing By DEEPAK GILL ALTHOUGH some see it as something that kids and adults do during their free time, recreational fishing is in reality a big business. Millions around the world indulge in it and billions are spent each year. It is, in fact, the biggest participatory sport in the world. The Malaysian Angling Association (PeMM) estimates that about 10% or two million Malaysians are actively into fishing. This explains the numerous local magazines catering to the hobby and why some newspapers have dedicated pullouts on fishing. One particularly exciting, as well as lucrative, area of recreational fishing is sportfishing. The sport Sportfishing is fishing for the love of the challenge it provides. Sportfishermen fish for the excitement. It’s not the size of the catch that matters here but the fighting qualities of the fish. Typically you would need to work up a sweat – maybe that’s why it’s deemed a sport. In sportfishing, the idea is to go for the best fighting fish available, battle and reel them in, and release them to live another day. Bob Chang, or Uncle Bob, a 57-year-old veteran, says, “In sportfishing, unlike angling, our goal is not necessarily to bag a fish. Hence we use lighter tackles so there’s a chance the fish will get away. Anglers would probably use heavy tackles as they just want to get the fish.” Chang is projects director at PeMM, an association formed 13 years ago to promote angling as a sport. The main marine fish that define the sportfishing here are the marlin, sailfish, Spanish mackerel, queenfish, yellowfin tuna and the Giant trevally. There are those who would pay thousands of dollars for a chance to “tango” with these beauties. When it comes to freshwater fish, the increasingly rare Malaysian Mahseer or kelah is king. “The kelah is difficult to hook, and it’s the fastest and strongest for its size in the river,” says Chang, the owner of Tight Lines, a tackle store. Other popular freshwater varieties are the Giant snakehead (toman) and jungle perch. Its economics Fishing is usually a lifelong pursuit that is as much about spending quality time on the water with friends and family as it is about catching (and releasing) lots of fish. Its economic impact, especially on the ground, is amazing. Malaysian seas teem with top fishes and have the potential to reel in millions of dollars annually via fishing tourism. The biggest advantage here is definitely the low costs and high probability of hooking a marlin or sailfish. Unfortunately, little has been done to publicise this fact despite the huge market for sportfishing. On average, 10%-20% of a developed country’s population are into fishing. According to the American Sportfishing Association (www.asafishing. org), there are 45 million anglers in the US alone. In 2001, these anglers spent over US$5bil on equipment, nearly US$15bil on fishing trips, and some US$20bil more on boats, trucks, licenses and other fishing-related products and services. American anglers spent a cool US$290mil on ice alone! That’s a grand US$116bil contribution to the economy in one year. PeMM’s estimates put angling in Malaysia as generating nearly RM2bil in expenditure annually. “It’s a realistic figure when you include all the incidentals involved in going fishing – from the nasi lemak for breakfast, the money spent on fishing tackle, the transport expenditure, boat rentals, accommodation, food and drinks, and so on,” says Tony Wee, vice-president of PeMM. The benefits are reaped way down the line, from shopkeepers and porters to boatmen and restaurateurs. In fact, in Pahang’s seaside town of Kuala Rompin, sportfishing is estimated to generate in excess of RM2mil over a period of eight months every year. Kuala Rompin is the billfish capital of Malaysia. (Billfish are fish with bills, and include the marlin, sailfish, spearfish and swordfish.) “Kuala Rompin, Aur Island (Johor) and Jarak Island (off Lumut, Perak) are some of the best sailfishing grounds in the world,” Chang explains. “There are few places in the world where you are almost guaranteed a hook-up!” Angling writer and fishing guide Anthony Geoffrey says the Spratly Islands north of Sabah is one of the top fishing destinations in the world. “It has everything, including deep water and coral atolls,” he says. He has taken fishermen out there on excursions, and they absolutely love it. However, the only significant foreign fishing presence here are visitors from Singapore. “There are Singaporeans at Kuala Rompin every weekend during the marlin season, and all boats get booked up,” says Chang, who has met a few Japanese anglers at Rompin. “Fantastic!” is what they say about the fishing here, because they are sure of hooking a sailfish, and maybe a wrasse for the table. Hence, they fly in from Japan twice a year just to fish! And they say Malaysia is an incredibly cheap sportfishing destination.” Comparatively, in a popular sportfishing destination like Costa Rica, which is renowned for billfish, a full-day sportfishing package starts from US$800 (RM3,040). According to Chang, Phuket (Thailand) is very well marketed for sportfishing, but there aren’t as many fish, and it costs about US$1,000 (RM3,800) a day per boat. Says Wee, “It’s generally unknown but there are regular fishing tourists from as far away as Europe and the Far East visiting Malaysia. Our billfish are the country’s little-known natural treasure and heritage, and we can take advantage of this – sustainably, of course.” The snags Before any selling can take place, however, there’s a need for better infrastructure. Currently, basic facilities are not up to mark. At Kuala Rompin, visitors, including tourists, have no alternative but to use the jetty meant for commercial fishermen, which is obviously unsuitable and unclean. There are also no toilets. Ramps to lower your boat into the water are practically non-existent, a nationwide problem at lakes and coasts. “I have a boat,” Chang remarks, “but I don’t take it out because I can’t get it into the water!” The other reason the boat stays home is that a licence is required for the boat’s tow trailer. Due to inefficiency, it takes between six months to two years to obtain the licence. “There are many fishermen who would like to own their own boat instead of renting one all the time, but the facilities are lacking,” says Chang, adding that boat rental is the highest expense in a fishing excursion. (In the US, the top 10 boat-sale states also are the top 10 fishing states.) At Kuala Rompin, there is only one reasonable hotel, but Chang adds that accommodation is something that gradually develops. Although many fishermen are able to rough it out and even camp out, the high-end market requires something better. Hardcore fishermen are willing to pay big money for big game. “There are still many infrastructure problems to overcome before we can realise the potential of Malaysia as a world-class angling destination,” says Wee. “You might recall that Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently called for the tourism industry to be creative to compete against Thailand and Singapore. May we suggest that the government look closely at the sportfishing industry, as it’s a niche market that can be successfully developed,” he adds. Culture Arts and Tourism Minister Datuk Paduka Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir has urged the Pahang government to do something about the Rompin district’s coastline to enhance the tourism industry, and mentioned that the jetty required improvements. Abdul Kadir says fishermen should help maintain the billfish population and urged them to release the fish if it was caught in their nets. “Fish crackers are made with dried billfish, but as a dish it is not popular because its meat is not tasty. Consumers can avoid buying billfish crackers because they can eat fish crackers made from other types of fish such as ikan tambang and parang,” he adds. “Billfish caught in ikan bilis (anchovy) nets are killed,” Chang says. The fishermen think that these fish eat their catch, when in fact, sailfish feed on selar and kembong. These two fish are the ones that feed on anchovies. “Hundreds of billfish are killed each year,” he says. Regarding the attitude of anglers themselves, much has been said. Many fishermen continue to kill their catch, although billfish meat is not really popular. Chang says the hired boatmen normally keep any billfish that is caught by the anglers, and the boatmen sell them for 50 sen a kilo. “The anglers should just release the fish and compensate the boatman about RM30 so he doesn’t have to sell the fish to get some extra money.” There is currently no law against killing billfish. “We are also the only association looking after the interest of fish, because, as we always say, if there are no fish, there won’t be any fishermen,” Wee of PeMM asserts. The association is pushing for greater catch-and-release for the masher too. “It’s not an uncommon fish, originally found in every clean river in Malaysia,” says Chang. But the murky river these days due to logging upstream normally doesn’t hold these beauties anymore. “Probably less than 1% of Malaysian anglers practise true sportfishing,” Chang estimates. “It’s human instinct to want to get something and take it back with you. The guys of my generation have gotten too used to catching and bringing home fish.” He adds that most sportfishermen in Malaysia are the younger generation who better understand the concept of sportfishing. “A sportfisherman goes out not just to catch a fish but to take in the environment, like the forest and the ocean.” <h3>Anglers and the tagging programme</h3> “THE Malaysian Angling Association ( <a href= " http://www.pemm.org.my " target= " _blank " >www.pemm.org.my</a>) has always been in the forefront of fish conservation, educating the angling public on the need for good fishing ethics, promoting catch-and-release, and advocating size and bag limits,” says vice-president Tony Wee. “Our association is now managing the Malaysian Billfish Conservation & Tagging Programme in conjunction with the World Billfish Foundation ( <a href= " http://www.billfishfoundation.org " target= " _blank " >www.billfishfoundation.org</a> ).” The programme involves full angler participation. When a sportfish like a marlin is caught, it’s speared with a tag. A tag card with the same serial number is filled out with the billfish species, location and date of capture. Data like the length, estimated weight, and condition of the fish is included. This data is sent to The Billfish Foundation. The angler is also given a certificate by the foundation to confirm that he successfully caught, tagged and released a billfish. The tag consists of a hydroscopic nylon dart (the same material used to construct artificial hearts and bone joints), and it’s provided to cooperative participants for free. McDonald’s Malaysia is working with PeMM on this project. The large populations of billfish that Malaysia has been blessed with only appeared in our waters about five years back. “We need funding to research this phenomenon. We would like to know their migration patterns,” says Bob Chang of PeMM. He is afraid we might lose them as suddenly as we were blessed with them. DNA samples are being taken from the Pacific Sailfish to determine which family of sailfish they belong to. “There is an Australian fish biologist who is very keen to do research on this if we could get a grant. I’m sure many local biologists would be interested too,” Chang adds. Sportfishing might be the catalyst for greater conservation and awareness as the industry (like commercial fishing) depends on continued fish stocks for its survival. “More anglers are practising catch-and-release as they are actively involved in our tagging programme,” Chang says. PeMM is also working closely with the Danish Agency for Development Assistance (Danida) and the Global Environmental Centre (GEC) on a river awareness programme aimed at keeping rivers clean and unpolluted. There is an ongoing project to clean up and rehabilitate the Kelana Jaya Lakes in Selangor, with the local council and the GEC. — By DEEPAK GILL <li> For details on the tagging programme, contact Tony Wee at 012-201 2698 or e-mail him at <a href= " wscheng " >wscheng</a> <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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