MONDAY, 24 JUNE – Kampung Mabul located at the south-eastern part of Sabah is populated by fishermen comprising of Sea Bajau and Suluk ethnics.  Both these ethnic groups experienced hardships in making ends meet for their families because of unpredicted sea produce caught.

By spending most of their time fishing at the border of the Malaysian-Philippines waters, they risk their lives in the middle of the sea in search for a mere income of RM750 a family.  Determined to end this sad tale, Enactus UMS which was known as SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) UMS had helped this community by innovating the Payao Project.

Inspired by artificial reefs which can only be applied to shallow waters, Enactus UMS had implemented this environment-friendly tool called Payao which consists of 3 main parts comprising float, anchor and the most interesting part, fish.  This tool attracts various fishes especially Tuna resulting in fishermen at Mabul Island gaining a consistent catch.  Through this project, fishermen at Mabul Island need only fish around the Payao area thus reducing their time in the sea.

This project, which is under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ismail Ali who is an expert in Payao, also ensures that this tool works besides maintaining the natural aquatic surroundings.  A workshop on financial management was also conducted so as to strengthen the fishermen’s knowledge on business thus creating awareness on the importance of preserving our natural ecosystem.  At the same time, the Mabul Fishermen Association was formed to manage and ensure the Payao Innovation can be optimised in the long term. - FL

Source: Enactus UMS Team