A fisherman from Penang has sounded the alarm on the declining fish supply in the Straits of Melaka, which he feared may get worse due to drastic development plans in the state, especially the Penang South Islands (PSI) project, or better known as the three islands project.
Nazri Ahmad, chairman of the Penang Fisherman Association, said Malaysia was already importing fish from Thailand, Myanmar, Pakistan and Africa to meet local demand.
We are a country with one of the world’s richest marine life. We should be exporting fish to other countries, he said during a forum called The Impact of Climate Change & Human Caused Hazards on Marine Environment in Malaysia at the Institute of Islamic Studies.
He attributed the dwindling supply of fish to the failure in controlling the ecosystem and enforcing laws.
Nazri said that the imported fish would often have toxic chemicals which were used as preservatives.
Among the fishermen we call it ubat mayat’ or corpse preservatives’. The chemical is far more dangerous than acid, he said.
Nazri also said that many species of fish were already extinct in Penang waters, such as ikan kembung or chub mackerels.
Others were dwindling and as a result, they fetched high prices in the market. Ikan terubuk’ or toli shad a kilogramme can cost up to RM200. Even then, you might still not get it.
He said the coastal areas earmarked for the reclamation project were rich breeding grounds for many species of fish.
Nazri also pointed at the destruction of bay areas that served as shelter for the fishermen during bad weather.
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