Reclamation project not disastrous to fishermen, says Penang CM

Published by The Malaysian Insight • 13/06/2021 • 10:56 am

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow says there’s no need to choose between the Penang South Reclamation project and the livelihoods of the fishermen in the area. – The Malaysian Insight pic, June 13, 2021.

THE Penang government is not side-lining fishermen in the state with its Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project, said Chow Kon Yeow.

The chief minister said the fishermen in the affected areas can still fish while the reclamation project – which will see the creation of three man-made islands – takes place in a staggered manner.

“We do not have to choose between PSR and safeguarding the fishermen and food security. We can do both because fishermen will still be able to fish when the reclamation begins.

“PSR’s construction will only start with one island and the development will take about 20 years.

“During that period, fishermen will still have unobstructed access to the sea,” he said in a statement today, adding that the PSR will not be a disaster to fishermen.

He also said that another initiative under the PSR project is a 250m wide navigation channel that will provide fishermen 24-hour access to the sea, regardless of the tide.

At present, he pointed out the fishermen must wait for high tide to go to sea.

Chow said his state government would ensure mitigation measures are implemented according to the 72 conditions stated in the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report by the Environmental Department.

This includes mangrove planting, deployment of artificial reefs and fish aggregating devices, releases of fish and prawn fry, research funds and others will also be implemented.

He added that these measures would ensure the reclamation proceeds in a controlled manner to prevent pollution.

“The offset programmes will help create new habitats for marine life and boost fish stock, which contributes towards the sustainability of the fisheries sector.”

He also said fish landing in south Penang Island only contributed 4% to the whole state’s fish production in 2015.

In the national context, fish landing from this area only made up about 0.2%, said Chow.

“We would also like to stress that the area that contributed 4% fish landing was not limited to only the PSR site. The whole fishing area for coastal fishermen in south Penang Island is much larger and farther from the earmarked reclamation site.

“This means the fishermen will still have a wide area for their fishing activities.” Chow said this in response to Agriculture and Food Industries Deputy Minister II Che Abdullah Mat Nawi, who had said on June 10 that the PSR project would threaten fisheries resources and the environment, and be a disaster to Penang fishermen.

Last month, Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar of PKR had also criticised the PSR project, saying that the state was side-lining the importance of the environment and a balanced ecosystem.

She said Penang should cancel the project and focus on protecting the environment and ecosystem as well as the source of income of Penang fishermen. – June 13, 2021.