Malaysia is pushing to strengthen its Fisheries Act in an attempt to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The Southeast Asian nation has in recent years been heavily targeted by IUU fishing, particularly by foreign vessels. Between 2020 and 2024, authorities documented 515 cases of foreign vessel intrusion in Malaysian waters, the New Straits Times reported, citing Malaysia Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup.
Kurup said that incursions during the period led to an estimated MYR 823 million (USD 194.4 million, EUR 167 million) in financial losses that came in the form of diminished commercial fish catch totals, damage to marine habitats, and increased strain on local fishery resources.
To curb IUU fishing activities and their impact, Malaysia’s House of Representatives passed the Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2025 on 29 July.
Speaking before the House, Kurup said that the bill not only responds to domestic needs but also brings Malaysia in line with global standards, including those set by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the European Commission.
"This Bill is not merely a legal amendment but a reform initiative to enhance the governance of the national fisheries sector, ensure resource sustainability, and protect the rights of fishermen, including small communities in rural and island areas," Kurup said.
The 2025 bill builds on amendments made in 2019, which increased the maximum fines imposed on vessel skippers found guilty of foreign fishing intrusions from MYR 1 million (USD 236,000, EUR 203,000) to MYR 6 million (USD 1.4 million, EUR 1.2 million) and from MYR 100,000 (USD 24,000, EUR 20,000) to MYR 600,000 (USD 142,000, EUR 122,000) for crew members.
Enhanced measures in the latest bill include empowering the nation’s director-general to suspend or revoke licenses of those caught trawling in restricted coastal zones, with penalties including up to a one-year suspension, fines, and equipment seizure. Furthermore, it bars reapplication for up to five years. The bill would also remove the limit on compoundable offenses.
Kurup also said the bill streamlines collaboration between Malaysia’s Department of Fisheries and other government enforcement agencies to better impose its measures.
A bill approved by both the Lower House and the Senate must receive the assent of the King of Malaysia before it can come into force.
IUU fishing has been a sweeping problem across Southeast Asia, including in neighboring Indonesia, which has reported IUU losses exceeding IDR 13 trillion (USD 798.6 million, EUR 686.4 million) between 2020 and 2025.
Vietnamese vessels have been a major part of the problem.
Of the 515 incursions into Malaysian waters between 2020 and 2024, 367 involved Vietnamese boats, Kurup said.
In 2017, the European Commission imposed a yellow card warning on Vietnam for not doing enough to tackle IUU fishing. Although Vietnam has revised its laws and strengthened enforcement, the warning remains in place.
In a letter to government agencies in July, Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged that while IUU violations have declined this year, the situation remains problematic. He said that fishing vessels continue to infringe in foreign waters using increasingly sophisticated tactics, and enforcement agencies still lack effective prevention tools.
Since early 2025, foreign authorities have detained and processed 16 Vietnamese vessels for such violations. In response, Chinh directed the nation’s public security ministry to urgently investigate cases involving serious IUU fishing violations for criminal prosecution.
According to Cong thuong, a newspaper run by Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, the E.C.’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG-MARE) initially planned to carry out its fifth on-site inspection in Vietnam on IUU fishing that would help determine whether to lift its yellow card.
However, due to Vietnam’s insufficient resolution of IUU violations, highlighted by the continued arrest of Vietnamese vessels by Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, DG-MARE has postponed the inspection to late 2025.
DG-MARE urged Vietnam to address several outstanding issues, including stricter control of fishing vessel activities both at sea and in port; tougher penalties for violations such as disconnecting vessel monitoring systems and crossing permitted fishing boundaries; and, most critically, preventing and prosecuting cases of Vietnamese vessels and fishermen illegally operating in foreign waters. These steps, it said, are essential for advancing the E.U.-Vietnam dialogue on combating IUU fishing.
DG-MARE also requested Vietnam to submit a progress report by 15 September. If the report demonstrates meaningful progress, the fifth inspection will be conducted at the end of the year, Cong thuong reported.
