Fishermen in Malaysia will soon be required to use facial recognition technology to buy government-subsidised diesel as part of a new security system to prevent subsidy misappropriation, according to the Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said  . The system, under development by the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (LKIM), is expected to be operational by September 2025. The new system aims to enhance security at sales centres and will be integrated with handheld devices used by Fishermen's Associations at Subsidised Diesel Sales Centres (PJD) in the retail sale of diesel. Currently, 70 million litres of subsidised diesel are allocated monthly, and in 2024, 10,449 vessel owners used a total of 680.3 million litres. He added that regular monitoring is conducted by LKIM on the use of subsidised diesel through shared fishing vessel data with enforcement agencies.

Source: News Strait Times

The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) is set to launch a Tuna Domestication Strategy and an updated National Tuna Fisheries Management Plan this year to strengthen sustainable management of Papua New Guinea's tuna sector. A major outcome will be a reduction in bilateral fleet operations, with offshore processing being phased out in favor of increasing onshore processing. NFA Managing Director Justin Ilakini emphasized that this transition is already in progress, with a gradual rise in the proportion of tuna caught and processed onshore. The NFA aims to move beyond current expectations of 10% landings from locally-based foreign vessels and 25% from business-led vessels. The focus will shift from maximizing revenue to prioritizing and supporting locally-based foreign and business-led vessels for onshore processing.

Source: FIS

Synbiotic technology, which combines prebiotics and probiotics, has proven to be highly beneficial for shrimp farmers, significantly increasing climate-tolerant shrimp production, often doubling or more in regions like Bangladesh. Research led by Dr. Sayed Hafizur Rahman of Jahangirnagar University, supported by the Sustainable Coastal and Marine Fisheries (SCMF) Project, found that this technology improves shrimp farming environments by enhancing water quality, eliminating harmful bacteria, boosting beneficial bacteria, strengthening shrimp immunity, and increasing production. The technology is applied both in shrimp feed and pond water, resulting in a lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) and reduced production costs. It is widely used in countries like India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Korea, and Malaysia.

Source:BBS NEWS