Malaysia arrests Chinese fishermen for poaching turtles

[victor]

Well done Malaysia.
Personally I think 18 months is getting off lightly, but the confiscation of there boats will do more to deter the other poachers.
I think Malaysia has some good ideas on the conservation front even if it does seem a bit heavy handed (sipadan) at times.

 

[dive_lover88]

hope the boats go down close to shore and we all can have a new dive site.

 

[jonix]

good thing the malay officials caught them. heavy handed treatment should be the way to go...unlike here in the Philippines

 

[drbill]

Hainan is really not a major dive destination for foreigners... I rarely hear of it even within Hong Kong...

I thought that might be the case. Everything I've heard about it sounds like the dive experience there is not high quality, something for try divers rather than active divers.

Maybe Malaysia could send some of its enforcement personnel out here to deal with our poachers. We had one guy who shot five sea lions, and also shot at several people. All he got was 18 months if I remember correctly.

 

[tzeyap]

I agree that Malaysia is doing a good thing jailing these poachers but they should also do something about the dried sea-horses I've seen being sold in airports there...

Since we are on to Seahorses and turtles, check the following links :

http://www.sosmalaysia.org/

http://www.umt.edu.my/seatru/

Drbill, you may find these sites of interest.

So , quite a bit of effort is being put in to protect natural life but then there are always the ones who are creating the problems just as everywhere else in the world.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I'm not bashing Malaysia here. I do understand this happens in a lot of places in the world, it's just that an even handed approach would be better. Hammer all these guys.

 

[tzeyap]

I'm not bashing Malaysia here. I do understand this happens in a lot of places in the world, it's just that an even handed approach would be better. Hammer all these guys.

If it did not cost so much to keep these people in jail, I am all for a heavier penalty !

I suppose at the end of the day it is not so much about punishment and more about deterring this type of activity. There has to be enforcement as well as education and publicity that such activities harms and endangers biodiversity and the ecosystem. There has to be action to discourage the trade and consumption as well. Some of these poachers are ignorant and poor and are just trying to eke out a living.

When the buying stops, so will the poaching.

 

[scubadudee]

I wonder if the authorities will consider sinking that vessel to create more artificial reef.

 

[Diver Dennis]

If it did not cost so much to keep these people in jail, I am all for a heavier penalty !

I suppose at the end of the day it is not so much about punishment and more about deterring this type of activity. There has to be enforcement as well as education and publicity that such activities harms and endangers biodiversity and the ecosystem. There has to be action to discourage the trade and consumption as well. Some of these poachers are ignorant and poor and are just trying to eke out a living.

When the buying stops, so will the poaching.

I think you hit it on the head. These incidents would not happen if there was no market for Turtles or whatever is being poached. The other thing we have to think about is the people who do the poaching. It's pretty difficult for these guys who have been harvesting for years to just stop. Provide them with an alternative income which is the same or better yet higher. I hear so many times "Stop the Slaughter", which sounds great and I agree but the real solution takes more than crying out in public.

 

[drbill]

Diver Dennis... to give these poachers an alternate source of income which is equal to or higher than that from poaching seems to be rewarding them for their crimes IMHO. Can't the authorities just sell them into slavery, then there would be no cost burden. Just kidding!

I hope to be doing some diving in Malaysia in the next year or so. Glad there is a good liklihood that some of the species I want to see won't be poached out of existence. I really enjoyed the last time I was there, although I didn't get a chance to dive.