Tanjung Balau Fishermen Museum in Kota Tinggi, Johor is the best place for visitors to learn a thing or two about the country’s fishery activities and its rich legacy. The museum stands on a former site of Johor’s oldest fishing village founded almost a century ago by fishermen from Kelantan and Terengganu.

Opened in 1992 by the South-East Johor Development Authority (Kejora), it is located on an 8ha site, overlooking the South China Sea and just metres away from the popular Tanjung Balau public beach. Tanjung Balau Fishermen Museum is the only museum in Malaysia which showcases the livelihood of traditional fishermen and their activities.

The museum is divided into several galleries. The Fishermen’s Gallery showcases the life of fishermen, fishing villages, rituals, tools and types of fishes. The Geology Gallery has over 100 unique stones of different shapes, sizes and colours believed to be millions of years old found in Tanjung Balau and its surrounding areas. The Sea Gallery showcases marine navigation and communication systems. The Desaru Shipwreck Gallery is named after a junk that sank off Desaru waters near the popular holiday area in southeast Johor on her way carrying cargo for the European markets in 1830s.

There are also gaily decorated traditional boats, rafts and vessels used by local fishermen.