Erratic weather, foreign encroachment and warming seas are cutting into our seafood supply, but aquaculture aided by space technology may help.
STRADDLING the Indian Ocean to the west and the South China Sea on the east – two of the world’s richest marine ecosystems – it’s no secret that Malaysian waters are a hotbed for fishing.
Our abundant seas are home to an estimated 4,000 marine fish species, ranging from the humble sardine to the coveted yellowfin tuna.
But it’s not just local fishermen or anglers who are benefiting from that aquatic bounty – in recent years, encroachment by foreign vessels into our seas has become increasingly frequent.
Mapping of the fish farms by MyDOFGiS using various satellite images.
In the span of just three years from 2020 to 2023, a total of 482 foreign fishing vessels has been detected within our territorial waters, resulting in a whopping RM823.88mil in losses for the local fishing industry, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu told Parliament in March.
Furthermore, climate change, warming oceans, erratic weather and overfishing are all weighing heavily on our fish production statistics.
Unpredictable weather sometimes keeps the 116,000 registered fishermen in the country from heading out to sea, while species such as the mackerel and the round scad are, according to scientists, also migrating to cooler oceans as the waters here get warmer.
Data on the Fisheries Department’s website shows that marine fish landings peaked at 1.57 million metric tonnes in 2016 but have been gradually declining since then (see graphic).
This decline, which became even more evident from 2019 to 2023, is coming at a time when Malaysians remain huge consumers of fish and seafood, lapping up 52.74kg per year per capita in 2021, according to Our World In Data.
Aquaculture production has been showing a sturdy increase in growth from 2004 to 2012, too, and while there have been some ups and downs, overall production remains high.
The local fisheries industry in 2023 was valued at RM16.5bil, with an annual growth rate of 3.6%, says Dr Azhar Hamzah, senior director of research at the Fisheries Research Institute.
“The fish farming sector – part of the aquaculture subsector – is increasingly important as a source of the nation’s fish production, especially to meet domestic demand,” he adds.
So, can aquaculture, which is also facing its own set of challenges, step up to the plate for Malaysians?
Eye in the sky
In September, the Fisheries Department, the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry and the Malaysian Space Agency (Mysa), an agency under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, signed a note on a strategic partnership that was initiated back in 2018 for the development of the Fisheries Biosecurity Control Management System (bioDOF-Map System).
With this note, the parties agreed to expand the system’s functionality to encompass all activities in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, covering inland, coastal, and marine zones across the country, including Sabah and Sarawak.
The document was signed between Fisheries director-general Datuk Adnan Hussain and Mysa director-general Azlikamil Napiah, and witnessed by Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup.
The MyDOFGiS website
Now known as the Integrated Fisheries Management System Based on Space Technology (MyDOFGiS), it was previously limited to ornamental fish and edible fish farms in six fisheries biosecurity zones, including goldfish farms in Kluang, Kulai, and Johor Baru in Johor; koi fish farms in Kuala Kangsar and Kinta in Perak; and edible fish farms in Pekan, Pahang.
Developed by Mysa, MyDOFGiS is based on space technology, incorporating remote sensing, a Geographic Information System (GIS), the Global Positioning System (GPS), as well as the use of information and communication technology (ICT), according to a joint statement from the Fisheries Department and Mysa.
The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, through Mysa, says it remains committed to providing comprehensive solutions through the use of space technology.
“With careful planning, this renewed collaboration aims to map up to 8,327 farms across Malaysia, comprising 7,492 edible fish farms and 835 ornamental fish farms,” it says.
Fish farm problems
The Fisheries Research Institute’s Azhar says the main issues currently facing fish farmers in Malaysia include water quality, unpredictable weather, pollution, disease, and limited access to accurate and up-to-date environmental data.
MyDOFGiS will eventually cover the more than 8,000 fish farms around the country.
“All these factors can negatively affect the productivity and health of farmed fish,” he stresses.Systems like MyDOFGiS, says Azhar, can help fish farmers with, among others, near real-time monitoring of water quality, providing early warnings about changes in critical parameters such as temperature or dissolved oxygen in the water, as well as giving them access to weather data and environmental forecasts that make it possible to make quick and accurate decisions, particularly in preparation for weather changes.
Others are pollution and water cleanliness monitoring – which can help farmers avoid significant losses due to the death of farmed fish – and the effective management of fish farming locations by identifying suitable areas through spatial analysis modules.
For example, using MyDOFGiS’ spatial analysis modules that will be developed later, farmers would be able to identify the most suitable areas for fish farming based on water currents, water depth and distance from pollution sources. It can also be used to map disease outbreaks, which would then allow farmers to make informed decisions on quarantines and other preventive measures.
All these functions, elaborates Azhar, will provide farmers with more accurate and up-to-date information, enabling them to make more precise decisions based on data and scientific forecasts.
“As a result, the MyDOFGiS system helps to control and monitor the farms” he says, adding that the spatial mapping activities of all 8,327 farms in Malaysia is expected to be completed by the year 2030.
The right stuff
In elaborating, Mysa’s Azlikamil says the project involves the mapping of aquaculture farms by identifying the locations of these farms along with their spatial details.
This mapping, he says, uses satellite images from SPOT 6 and SPOT 7, Pleiades and RadarSat-2.
“SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 satellite images are high-resolution images (up to 1.5m) that are used to prepare data layers containing information such as zones, compartments, farm boundaries, water bodies, and land use.
Azlikamil: Mysa aims to develop five new applications each year.
“Pleiades satellite images are very high-resolution images of up to 0.5m, used to map more detailed information such as farm pond boundaries and various farm facilities,” he says, adding that these include drainage systems, disposal sites, storage areas, workshops, inlet and outlet water treatment ponds, and even farm entrances.
“Additionally, radar images are used to produce annual maps of monsoon flood zones. These maps are created to identify aquaculture farms that have experienced flooding. This information enables better planning to mitigate the impact of flood disasters,” he says.
Overall, the development of the system involves a data collection and integration process that takes around eight to 12 months.
However, the system, according to Azlikamil, can be continuously improved over time according to the needs of user agencies.
“The development of this system fully utilises the internal expertise of Mysa research officers and its existing facilities,” he says.
The MyDOFGiS system is one of 55 space technology-based application systems developed by Mysa for over 90 government agencies, ranging from disaster management to environmental health.
“Currently, Mysa aims to develop five new applications each year, subject to the needs and demands of user agencies,” adds Azlikamil.
Value-added
Despite these ongoing challenges, Azhar believes that the value of the local fisheries industry, particularly the fish farming sector, is expected to continue rising due to several factors.
“Foreign fishing activities in Malaysian waters pose challenges to the local fishing industry. To counter this competition, fish farming is seen as a more controlled and sustainable alternative.
“The increasing demand for fish and seafood in the local market also highlights the significant potential for expansion in the fish farming sector,” he says.
Meanwhile, the adoption of technology and the MyDOFGiS system will enhance the farming environment’s quality, as would improvements in the fish fry supply and disease control, contributing to the growth of this sector.
“The MyDOFGiS system is expected to provide up-to-date and accurate information to farmers,” declares Azhar, adding that the sector is expected to continue contributing to the overall increase in the value of the fisheries industry as well as help reduce dependence on marine resources.
Currently, fish farmers in Malaysia use various systems and technologies to enhance aquaculture production, including the Aquaculture Delivery and Support System (SPeKS AKUA) and Good Agricultural Practices (myGAP), as well as the Aquaculture Integration Development Programme.
The fisheries sector, Azhar points out, is a key focus of the Cabinet Committee on National Food Security Policy and the Agri-Food Policy 2.0.
“The strategic direction of the Fisheries Department must align with these existing policies and goals.”
