A STUDY ON THE LEVEL OF COMPLIANCE OF FISHING VESSEL OPERATION TO FISHERIES DEPARTMENT REGULATIONS: A CASE STUDY OF LUMUT, PERAK

Abstract

Safety and welfare issues for small fishermen operating near the shore by using traditional boats are not new. There are several articles and press releases that point out that these issues are serious and need attention. In planning a solution to this issue, monitoring from the peripheral authority should be enhanced. There are laws and regulations that have been enacted by fisheries authorities to combat this problem. However, there are still fishermen who do not follow the rules and laws. The purpose of the research is to identify the causes behind the fishermen's suspicion of the laws imposed by the authority. This research aims to determine the level of compliance of fishing vessels operation to Fisheries Department regulations and to identify the reasons for non-compliance and was conducted among fishermen in Lumut area. The analysis used were Cronbach’s alpha, descriptive analysis and mean to analyze the data collected through the distribution of questionnaire to selected fishermen from three fishermen villages. The level of compliance of fishing vessel operation was determined by Likert scale, whilst qualitative statements were grouped into several topics using qualitative content analysis. The mean for each group was analyzed. The reasons for the fishermen’s non-compliance were also identified by using closed-ended and open-ended questions and then analyzed the reasons by using descriptive analysis. This study is not meant to expose the weaknesses of the authorities in law enforcement, but is a proposal that can enhance the actions by the authorities.