THE Penang Fishermen’s Association has suffered from multiple reclamation and embankment projects on Penang Island in the past, and the next project to create three man-made islands will be the final nail in their coffin, the group said today.

In a letter they submitted to the state’s governor Abdul Rahman Abbas this morning, association chairman Nazir Ahmad said the compensation and alternative jetties promised to fisherman from previous projects had not even been paid out full or built at all.

The previous projects had involved more than 400ha of reclaimed land and had caused the old jetties at former landing sites to be moved.

“The sea where we fish has also become narrower and more polluted, we have lost access to fishing grounds and our income has dropped,” he said in the letter that was delivered to the governor’s official residence.

The letter calls on the Penang governor to use his powers to cancel the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project that will create three man-made islands spanning more than 1,800ha. The reclaimed land is to be sold to fund the RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).

“We urge the governor to cancel the PSR and find another way to fund the PTMP,” Nazir said in the letter.

“We can no longer keep quiet. We have been given false promises in the past over previous projects.

“The reality is that fishermen have become the victims of development. Objectively speaking, the destructive effects of embankment and reclamation work on the environment and fisheries, can no longer be denied,” he added.

Nazir said the PSR would affect Penang’s “best and most productive” fishing grounds, which were also prime breeding grounds for prawns.

“The size of the PSR will cause widespread destruction of marine life here and also affect sea aquaculture farms in Pulau Betong, Batu Maung and Sg Udang,” he said.

He named previous reclamation and coastal roadworks projects over the years that had caused problems, such as the Bayan Lepas industrial area, Lim Chong Eu Expressway, the Penang Bridge, the Seri Tanjung Pinang 1 and 2 projects, the Queensbay project, Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR), the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge, Gurney Wharf, Bayan Bay and The Light Waterfront.

Nazir said fishermen had been promised compensation of RM12,000 and new jetties from the BORR project from 2003 to 2006, but to date, the money has not been fully paid out, nor have new jetties have been built.

“The sites that were allocated for new jetties have been taken and used by other people,” he said.

The Seri Tanjung Pinang 2 (STP2) project which is still ongoing has also caused a drop in catch of ikan kembong (mackerel) which used to be in abundance in Tanjung Tokong, he said.

“The STP2 project has affected water quality from the Penang Strait until Teluk Bahang, including the tourist beach at Batu Feringghi. It also has a negative impact on fishing areas off Butterworth.

“For fishermen at Butterworth and Tanjung Tokong, the compensation offered to them is not enough to replace the loss of livelihood. They are now working harder and longer to get just half the catch they used to net before the project started. They also have to take up other jobs.”

In addition to silted and polluted waters, fishing nets also get torn from waste and debris during previous embankment and reclamation works, he added.

Nazir said a group of fishermen from Penang and Perak had already tried to highlight the community’s plight to politicians when they held a protest at Parliament on July 11, but there was still no recourse in sight.

He said there were 5,000 fishermen in Penang who would be affected by the PSR, and 9,000 more from northern Perak who would be threatened from sand dredging for the reclamation work.

He also urged the Penang government to stop plans for a 650ha plot of land along the embankment of the Butterworth Waterfront, as this would affect the Teluk Ayer Tawar mangrove forest.

“Fishermen depend on mangroves as fish-spawning areas,” he said, adding that the area was a stop for migratory birds.

“Before dreaming of bigger projects, state government should prove to us how these areas can be rehabilitated. If they insist on going ahead, it just means the state supports unsustainable development that will burden future generations.” – August 16, 2019.