MARANG, June 25 — The Fisheries Department has received RM6.5 million in allocations from the unity government for artificial reef development and monitoring in the waters of Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah from 2021 to 2023.

Its director-general Datuk Adnan Hussain said RM1.5 million was prepared for 57 units of anti-trawling artificial reefs in the waters of five states, Terengganu, Kelantan, Johor, Kedah and Selangor.

"Each state will receive around RM360,000, with the number of reefs depending on the quoted price in the procurement process.

"Actually, we have allocated these reefs specifically for the East Coast and East Johor, as well as the West Coast as we have a long coast, and they will help boost our fish population stocks,” he said after a reef sinking programme of the waters of Pulau Kapas here today, with Terengganu Agriculture, Food Industry, Plantation, Commodities and Rural Development Committee chairman Azman Ibrahim in attendance.

He said the reefs would address the issue of declining fish stocks and would benefit 8,635 fishermen in Terengganu.

Meanwhile, Azman said that cooperation between the unity government and the state government was vital to ensure the continued economic success of the fisheries sector, especially in Terengganu that has an exclusive economic zone of 87 square kilometres.

"I thank the federal goverment, who has channelled RM250,000 to RM300,000 yearly to Terengganu for articifial reefs,” he said. — Bernama