Malaysia's Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu said coral cover fell and deaths rose at six marine park islands after bleaching, damaging habitats that help sustain the country's fisheries.
In a written reply to Parliament on Oct. 20, Mohamad said the Fisheries Department had monitored reefs at 32 marine park islands. Sea-surface temperatures reached 32 C to 35 C in the affected areas, he said.
Four of the six islands are in Terengganu: Redang, Perhentian, Kapas and Tenggol. The others are Tioman in Pahang and Payar in Kedah. Mohamad said reefs give marine life places to shelter and reproduce and support Malaysia's fisheries resources.
The government's fisheries climate action plan runs from 2024 to 2030 and includes efforts to reduce climate damage to reefs. Under the 13th Malaysia Plan, RM4 million has been allocated to the fisheries initiative, including programs to restore damaged marine habitats.
Mohamad said authorities were also stepping up enforcement under the Fisheries Act 1985 against coral removal, pollution and habitat destruction. The measures also address anchoring in prohibited ways without written permission in marine parks and reserves.
An assessment of reef-building corals worldwide classified 340 of 774 species with enough data, or 44%, as threatened with extinction. The assessment used data through 2020.
As of June, Malaysia had designated 29,844.08 square kilometers of its waters as marine protected areas, covering 5.54% of the total. The government aims to raise that share to 10% by 2030.
