# Malaysia's Fisheries Industry

> An overview of Malaysia's fisheries industry — marine capture fisheries and aquaculture, the roles of the Department of Fisheries Malaysia and LKIM, fishermen's welfare, and the pressure of foreign vessel intrusions into national waters.

- Category: agriculture
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-08-01
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/agriculture/malaysian-fisheries-industry

---

Before dawn at the jetties along the Strait of Malacca and the South China
Sea, thousands of coastal fishing boats head out to sea to supply nearly
nine-tenths of the fish eaten across the country. At the same time, in more
distant waters, trawlers flying no Malaysian flag drag their nets across
borders the eye cannot see.

Malaysia's fisheries industry is two stories in one: a food sector that
almost meets its own needs, and a maritime-security front line that every
year loses billions of ringgit worth of catch to foreign vessels.

## How big is the sector, and where does the fish come from?

In 2023, the fisheries subsector produced **1.79 million metric tonnes of
edible fish**, alongside 241 million ornamental fish and 26 million bundles
of aquatic plants, with a total value of **RM16.5 billion**. Tonnage fell
5.51% against the previous year, but the ringgit value rose 3.6% against
RM15.9 billion in 2022 — higher prices offsetting the lower catch.

To see the real composition, the 2022 figures give the fullest picture.
Marine capture fisheries remain the main source, but aquaculture keeps
growing.

| Source (2022) | Production | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Marine capture | 1.31 million tonnes | 69% |
| Aquaculture | 0.57 million tonnes | 30% |
| **Total** | **1.89 million tonnes** | **RM15.9 billion** |

The fish self-sufficiency level (*self-sufficiency level*, SSL) was **90.2%**
in 2022, with per capita fish consumption of roughly **46.22 kg** a year for
food fish. Malaysia still imports to close the gap: fisheries imports were
worth RM7.34 billion against exports of RM4.21 billion, making a trade
deficit of roughly RM3.13 billion that year.

The sector depends on a large but ageing workforce. In 2022, fisheries
provided direct employment to **149,630 people** — 116,613 in marine
capture, 20,925 in aquaculture and 11,149 in inland fisheries — operating
**48,605 licensed vessels**. Its contribution to agricultural GDP was 11.6%.

## Who manages, develops and looks after fishermen?

Three bodies form the institutional backbone of the sector, and confusing
their roles is the source of most misunderstandings.

**The Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOF)** is the management authority.
It administers the **Fisheries Act 1985 (Act 317)**, licenses vessels and
fishing gear, publishes annual fisheries statistics, and enforces zones and
quotas. The division of fishing zones — from inshore zones for small boats
out to deep-sea zones — is designed to separate traditional fishermen from
larger commercial trawlers.

**The Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM)** focuses on people and
development, not licensing. It was established on **1 November 1971** under
the **Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority Act 1971 (Act 49)**, under the
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. Its statutory functions include:

- promoting efficient management and marketing of the fish industry;
- creating and supervising credit facilities for fish production;
- participating in fisheries enterprises, including boat building and
  equipment production; and
- promoting, intensifying and advancing the economic and social progress of
  Fishermen's Associations, as well as registering, controlling and
  supervising those associations.

In practice, LKIM is the agency closest to fishermen's daily lives —
managing fish landing complexes, channelling credit and incentives, and
administering assistance such as natural-disaster relief and fishermen's
welfare schemes when storms or the monsoon wipe out incomes.

**The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA)** is the enforcement arm
at sea. When foreign vessels intrude or local fishermen breach a zone, it is
MMEA that intercepts, detains and brings cases to prosecution. The three
bodies overlap — DOF sets the rules, LKIM supports the fishermen who follow
them, and MMEA catches those who break them.

## Why is security, not just production, the central issue?

The production figures hide a large leakage. The Department of Fisheries
estimates that Malaysia loses **roughly 980,000 tonnes of marine produce
worth between RM3 billion and RM6 billion each year** to illegal fishing
activity — a loss that can equal more than half the total value of the sector
itself.

The biggest driver is intrusions by foreign fishing vessels into Malaysia's
Exclusive Economic Zone. MMEA recorded a clear pattern between 2020 and July
2024:

| Vessel's country of origin | Intrusion cases (2020–July 2024) |
| --- | --- |
| Vietnam | 308 |
| Indonesia | 81 |
| Thailand | 35 |
| China | 10 |
| **Total** | **434** |

Over that period, **3,694 foreign fishermen were detained** for various
offences. Vietnamese vessels dominated the cases, often using destructive
fishing methods such as pair trawling that scrapes the seabed. To cover the
vast area under surveillance — especially the waters off Sabah and Sarawak —
the government plans to add MMEA sea and air assets, including four
AgustaWestland AW189 medium-lift helicopters.

The law was also tightened. The amendment to the **Fisheries Act 1985 in
2019 (Act A1601)** raised maximum fines sharply:

- owner or skipper of an intruding foreign vessel: from **RM1 million to
  RM6 million**;
- each crew member: from **RM100,000 to RM600,000**.

That sixfold increase is intended to make intrusion economically
unworthwhile, thereby tackling the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU)
fishing that threatens the sustainability of stocks.

## Where is the sector heading?

Three structural pressures shape the industry's direction. First, the
**shift to aquaculture.** With marine stocks under overfishing pressure,
future production growth is expected to come from fish and prawn farming,
not wild capture — in line with the global trend in which aquaculture now
overtakes capture for aquatic animals for the first time.

Second, an **ageing workforce and dependence on foreign labour.** Many
fishermen's children do not inherit the career, leaving the sector reliant
on foreign crew — which in turn complicates enforcement and security.

Third, **food security versus sustainability.** An SSL of 90.2% means
Malaysia almost meets its needs, but maintaining that ratio without
depleting stocks requires effective no-take zones, quotas and border
enforcement all at the same time.

## What's next

If you are an operator or investor, watch the aquaculture segment: that is
where production growth and policy support are concentrated, and LKIM is the
entry point for credit, landing infrastructure and Fishermen's Association
participation. To understand the licensing framework, start with the
Fisheries Act 1985 and the division of fishing zones administered by the
Department of Fisheries Malaysia.

If your interest is security or maritime policy, the most important figures
are not the tonnes of production but the 434 intrusion cases and the RM3–6
billion lost each year — those are the numbers driving MMEA asset investment
and the penalty amendments. The Department of Fisheries' annual fisheries
statistics and MMEA's enforcement reports are the official sources for
following developments from year to year.

## Sources

- Fisheries Industry Scenario — https://www.dof.gov.my/en/corporate-info/introduction/fisheries-industry-scenario/ (Department of Fisheries Malaysia)
- Background — Lembaga Kemajuan Ikan Malaysia — https://www.lkim.gov.my/en/background/ (Lembaga Kemajuan Ikan Malaysia (LKIM))
- Vision, Mission, Objective & Function — https://www.lkim.gov.my/en/vision-mission-objectives/ (Lembaga Kemajuan Ikan Malaysia (LKIM))
- Overview of the fishery and aquaculture sectors in Malaysia — https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1545263/full (Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems)
- MMEA To Increase Assets, Use Modern Technology To Curb Intrusions Into Country's Waters — https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2336430 (Bernama)
- Fisheries Dept: Malaysia loses RM6b a year to illegal fishing — https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2019/09/04/fisheries-dept-malaysia-loses-rm6b-a-year-to-illegal-fishing/1787016 (Malay Mail)
- Akta Perikanan (Pindaan) 2019 (Akta A1601) — pindaan kepada Akta Perikanan 1985 (Akta 317) — https://dof-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/akta-perikanan-1975-akta-317-pindaan-2019-20190809-akta-a1601bm.pdf (Jabatan Perikanan Malaysia (teks warta Akta A1601))

---
Source of truth: https://github.com/negaraku-md/NegaraKu.md
License: CC BY-SA 4.0