In a Bernama report, the department’s director-general Adnan Hussain said the project is focused on managing excess fishing capacity within Asean nations’ exclusive economic zones (EEZ).

The project, known as the “Implementation and assessment of the Asean regional plan of action for the management of fishing capacity”, is aimed at ensuring sustainable fish stocks.

Adnan said that as the chair of Asean this year, Malaysia — through the fisheries department — is also involved in various regional programmes aimed at achieving sustainable fisheries resources.

These programmes include capacity building in fisheries management and cooperation in aquaculture.

In 2020, a United Nations report revealed that nearly 95% of global fish stocks were overfished or at maximum sustainable yield.

With Malaysia ranking sixth among the top 20 countries in captured fisheries, experts have warned that targeted food species may disappear by 2048 if overfishing persists.

Malaysian fishermen catch around one million tonnes of seafood annually, with about 40,000 tonnes kept as frozen reserves.