One of the major objectives of the Department of Fisheries, Sabah is in the management and sustainable development of the fishing and aquaculture industries of Sabah. The resource management program is aimed to undertake activities to ensure that natural resources (fisheries stocks, land, marine life, rivers and lakes and seas) are utilised in a rational way. Further, where developments are targeted, such resources should be utilised properly, and that such utilisation should be mitigated with measures to prevent or minimised negative impacts to the environment and natural resources.
The main features of the resource management program comprise of:
- The regulation of fishing activities through licencing and banning of destructive fishing methods;
- The rational use of land and sea areas through proper spatial and temporal planning of aquaculture activities using Local Area Development Plans as well as the proper intergration of human activities and other economic utilisation of such resources;
- The control or banning of the fishing of certain dangerous, biologically significant or threatened or endangered species (such as Arowana, Piranha, Whale Shark, etc.);
- The regulation damaging activities, and the prevention of the release of pollutive or deleterious substances into water bodies that are home to fish populations and fisheries;
- The conservation of land and sea areas, principally to be retained as no-development preserves; and
- The implementation of resource rehabilitation or resource enhancement projects such as artificial fish reefs (read) and fish restocking of water bodies.
Inspection of vessel prior to issuance of licence
Stock enhancement of public water bodies