Resolve problems faced by Balik Pulau fishers

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) has urged the Fisheries Department and the Penang state government to investigate the source of problems that has led to certain types of marine life in the waters of Balik Pulau threatened and endangered.

CAP’s survey found that in addition to high quality fish like Chinese pomfret and Silver pomfret, other marine life such as cockles, mussels, clams, crabs and shrimp that are major catches of more than 500 fishermen have also declined. The affected fishermen are from Kuala Sungai Burung, Kuala Sungai Pinang, Pantai Acheh, Kuala Jalan Bharu and Pulau Betong.

The daily catch of fishermen has declined from more than RM200.00 to a meagre RM30.00. Sometimes they go home empty handed because of the serious dwindling of fisheries resources here. Among the causes of the problem is encroachment by trawlers and pukat buaya, pollution from aquaculture ponds and the destruction of mangrove forests due to uncontrolled shrimp farming projects.

The activities by the trawlers and pukat buaya that often encroach into the coastal fishing zone (1 to 8 nautical miles) at night not only threaten the income of coastal fishers but also trap and kill tens of metric tonnes of various types of juvenile fish.

The shrimp farming projects starting from Kuala Sungai Pinang to Kuala Jalan Bharu have destroyed hundreds of hectares of mangroves that function as breeding grounds for many types of marine life. At the same serious marine pollution has occurred because the shrimp farm operators here dispose effluents from their ponds to the coastal waters.

CAP requests that the Fisheries Department and the Maritime Enforcement Agency strictly enforce the Fisheries Act 1985 so that these problems can be dealt with effectively. CAP calls for the immediate ban of trawl and buaya nets to save the fisheries resources from extinction.

Measures must be taken by the government of Penang to stop issuing permits for future aquaculture project and gazette all mangrove forests in the state as Permanent Reserved Forest. CAP believes that if we neglect the threats to fisheries resources it will not only jeopardize the livelihood of coastal fishers but also our food supply and the fisheries sector.

Press Statement, 17 August 2015