SUNSHINE STORIES

Boikot sajian istimewa sup sirip ikan yu WALAUPUN jam sudah menunjukkan pukul 7 pagi, para pengunjung masih berpusu-pusu memasuki Pasar Borong Selayang, Selangor untuk mendapatkan barangan keperluan harian. Ketika menjengah ke bahagian basah pasar itu, mata penulis tertancap pada sebuah gerai yang melonggokkan beberapa ekor ikan yu atau jerung bersaiz kecil di atas meja untuk dijual. Menurut penjual ikan berusia dalam lingkungan 40-an yang hanya mahu dikenali sebagai Keng itu, ikan yu yang dijual pada harga RM10 sekilogram tersebut dikatakan mempunyai rasa yang enak selain memberi khasiat kepada tubuh manusia. “Ikan yu ini sedap. Semua jenis masakan sesuai seperti masak kari, asam pedas, kicap dan gulai. Malah, goreng begitu sahaja pun sudah memadai. “Ia mempunyai khasiat yang bertindak sebagai agen untuk membantu mempercepat proses penyembuhan,” dakwanya tanpa mengemukakan sebarang bukti saintifik. Lantaran itu, tidak hairanlah apabila Malaysia kini berada di kedudukan...

KUALA LUMPUR – Mungkin ramai yang tidak menyedari tentang Pulau Banggi yang merupakan pulau yang terbesar di Malaysia selepas Pulau Langkawi dan Pulau Pinang. Bagaimanapun, pulau berkeluasan 447 kilometer persegi yang terletak di daerah timur laut Kudat, Sabah itu tidak senasib dengan Pulau Pinang dan Pulau Langkawi. Pulau tersebut jauh ketinggalan dari segi infrastruktur dan kemudahan bekalan air akibat pengabaian kerajaan Barisan Nasional selama ini memajukan ekonomi masyarakat setempat. Jimmy Wong Isu bekalan air dan infrastruktur Pulau Banggi ini telah dibangkitkan oleh Ahli Parlimen Kota Kinabalu Jimmy Wong Sze Phin dalam ucapan Kamar Khas di Parlimen semalam (Rabu). Menurutnya, masalah bekalan air yang melanda semakin kritikal sejak mengalami keadaan cuaca yang kering kebelakangan ini sehingga menjejaskan kehidupan 75 peratus penduduk pulau tersebut. “Apakah bantuan yang diberi oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk menyelesaikan masalah kekurangan air dan infrastruktu...

Kota Kinabalu:  Sabah could lose out to the Philippines as one of the most popular diving destinations in the world if shark finning does not get banned. According to State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, that would mean a loss of millions of ringgit of tourism revenue for Sabah. He said the diving industry generates between RM350 million and RM380 million a year from divers out of whom 80 per cent of them choose to come to the State to see sharks in the wild. All this he said could be lost just because there are people who have an appetite for shark fin soup. "There's a huge diving potential in the Southern Philippines and they have sites which are as good as Sipadan. All they need to do is to get the security issue sorted out. (President) Duterte is doing that now," he said when officiating the closing of 'My Fin My Life' KK Business Dialogue 2016, Monday. Masidi said if the issue of shark finning in Sab...

KOTA KINABALU: Though Malaysia is one of the world’s top consumers of shark fin soup, the popularity of the dish fell by almost fifty per cent over the last six months, and the downward trend is expected to continue in the coming year, said World Wildlife Fund Malaysia (WWF) marine head Dr Robecca Jumin. "In the past six months, there was a 44 per cent decline in consumption of shark fin soup, which might be driven by (a number of factors, including) more effective shark protection, greater awareness among the public, environmental concerns, and a change in dining culture. "According to WWF’s 2015 survey (of average consumers), respondents said (their change in attitude towards shark consumption was self-driven), but social media and environmental non-governmental organisations (played a role), " Robecca said during a My Fin My Life dialogue session with business operators here this morning. She added that most shark fin soup dishes were served in restaurants during f...

Masidi (fourth left) and Yeo (second right) in a photo opportunity with restaurateurs who received certificates of acknowledgement for pledging to stop serving shark fins to patrons KOTA KINABALU: Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, is ‘unapologetic’ about his stand on the issue of shark fin harvesting and shark killing, saying  sharks played an important role as an economic driver in the tourism industry. Masidi, who opened the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) Malaysia and Sabah Shark Protection Association (SSPA) business dialogue, ‘My Fin My Life,’ also said the shark population in the state is a source of many jobs for locals. “Every year, foreign divers come over to dive in Sabah and 80 per cent of them want to see sharks in the wild, among others. “We gross about RM350 to RM380 million each year from the diving industry and that’s a huge amount of money, but aside from that, the industry creates jobs, especially for locals...

By LEONG HON YUEN Off the palm-fringed island of Maiga in eastern Sabah, bare-footed Ibnu Milikan is singing and fishing. Skillfully adjusting the line’s tension, he waits patiently for the fish to bite. He admits he loves singing, which whiles away his boredom. “There were plenty of fish 20 years ago,” he recalls. “Now there is less. Most of the corals around here are damaged. Sometimes you’re lucky, sometimes not. One, two or three fishes.” Milikan relies on the coral reefs to feed his family of four. He learnt line and hook fishing from his father and also grows seaweed with his in-laws. “That’s the life of poor people,” he adds wistfully. “I don’t know about those who have more.” Milikan is a first generation ethnic Bajau, a sea-faring community of subsistence fishermen living in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park (TSMP) in Semporna, Malaysia’s first community marine park. Not all fishermen have Milikan’s patience. “During the fish season, we can get 100 kilos of...

Win a chance to dive in the beautiful waters of Sabah, with its astounding array of beautiful islands abundant with coral reefs and marine life. All of its beauty is possible because of the existence of sharks, which keep the ecosystem healthy and in check. Participate in the 'Pledge to Dive Contest' and collect the highest number of pledges from your family and friends to say no to the trade and consumption of shark fin and shark-related products in Malaysia; and stand a ch ance to win a RM2,000 voucher for any services/courses provided by Scuba Junkie Dive Centers in Sabah. (Voucher valid till 30 June 2017). Only one winner will be announced, will it be you? For more information and registration, visit:  myfinmylife.com/pledgetodive/ Contest ends 30 November 2016 Contact my.finmylife@wwf.org.my for any queries. Source: https://www.facebook.com/wwfmy/ 

by Neila Maryam,  adapted from WWF-UK Seafood Charter article by Tracy Cambridge.  As fellow inhabitants of earth, we come as one from different regions across the world to hold the singular and most profound responsibility of defending Mother Nature from harm. WWF is an international organization that helps governments to manage oceans and seafood in our priority seascapes. In which, WWF’s Seafood Charter caters to business needs in line with our environmental mission. A better world is a healthy one. So much has advanced for mankind, yet what stays constant and primarily important is the contribution of the ocean’s riches to the development of our civilization. We depend on it for food, water, transport, leisure and further more aspects that furnish our livelihoods. However, they are likely considered treasures than common necessities. As much as it is a blessing of ease to acquire everything Mother Nature gifts us, we should not be hindered by the fact that we ca...

by Neila Maryam.  Every morning you have the Sun pierce through the curtains to welcome a new day. Your vagabond limbs, lost between the warmth of the sheets lets you feel the Godly sensation of touch. Meanwhile, the adventurous shark roams through the blue blankets of the sea guided by his noble limbs. But by the first sight of light through the vague ripple of the water, the silent brush of the tide becomes a loud prayer in fear of another reaping day. Above waters, diligent men march towards the edge of the infinite sea. A mass dumping of dead sharks is a symbol of celebration as their daily bread is measured off the weight of their buckets full of the severed Shark fins. While they parade back to shore, the horrified shark witnesses an unceremonious funeral of its own mother. One day you will wake up in fear of devastation as the cycle shifts towards world’s greatest predator; human beings. At the point when sharks are gone, our fisheries stock, marine biological commu...