Trapped in the Nets: Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing in Borneo Island
By Siu Tzyy Wei & Nasri Tahir
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities have invoked serious concerns for the safety and stability of maritime Southeast Asia, particularly on the centrally-located Borneo Island. This island, which holds a coastline that stretches for 1,336 kilometres, is shared by Brunei Darussalam (hereafter referred to as ‘Brunei’), Indonesia, and Malaysia. Borneo is also the third largest island in the world and is subjected to increasing maritime traffic, trade, and overall globalisation. This creates a mosh pit where the high traffic volume within the surrounding waters of Borneo creates a perfect breeding spot for IUU fishing to take place under the radar. As a consequence, there have been reports of degrading fishery resources due to IUU fishing activities and an increase in encroaching foreign and local vessels. When left unmonitored, these activities provide the perfect climate for other crimes to take place like that of environmental destruction and trafficking, ultimately posing a larger threat to national and regional security.
The broad repercussions of these illegal fishing activities have resulted in significant security, ecological and economic implications for Borneo. As an island whose ecosystem is often at risk, it is more important than ever to ensure the combined protection of the finite resources around one of the world’s longest coastline. However, the unilateral actions of Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak, and Kalimantan have diverged from a missed opportunity to develop a pan-island coordinated solution in tackling IUU fishing. Now, more than ever, a coordinated response that centres on intelligence sharing and capacity-building while based on mutual guidelines is necessary to tackle this pressing issue that transcends national borders.
As such, “Trapped in the Nets: Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in Borneo Island'' is a revised version of Global Awareness and Impact Alliance’s 2021 policy paper on the same topic, which was titled “Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in Borneo Island”. Through virtual interviews with stakeholders and comparisons to secondary literature, this policy paper seeks to highlight evolving factors, consequences, and efforts to combat IUU fishing in Borneo Island. With a priority to frame IUU fishing within the unique context of each nation state, this policy paper also fills the gaps of the first edition by addressing changes in the current reality and implementation gaps in present-day efforts, as well as propose policy solutions moving on forward.
Alongside the support of the Australian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam, this report is designed to raise awareness and encourage a whole-of-society approach in tackling the multifaceted challenges of this growing regional concern. There are two main aims of this report: (1) to emphasise the need for synergy between existing resources to combat a shared threat and (2) to provide a space for public and private stakeholders including civil society organisations (CSOs) and the general public to contribute to our shared waters.
To access the complete report, click here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B35fNHaYN_9zMXKmkZlm57mCXuUgvPID/view?usp=sharing