Green group slams Penang exco man’s defence of PSI project

Penang executive councillor Fahmi Zainol said fishermen actually fished further away from the contentious Penang South Island (PSI) project site. (SRS Consortium pic)

PETALING JAYA: An environmental group has slammed a Penang executive councillor for claiming that the controversial Penang South Island (PSI) project will not impact the fishing community.

In a statement, the Network for Ecology and Climate (Jedi) said that Fahmi Zainol’s statement, which he had backed up with satellite imagery, could confuse the public.

Fahmi, who is the agrotechnology, food security and cooperatives executive councillor, said last Wednesday that satellite imaging by the Malaysian Space Agency over 200 consecutive days revealed that the site in question was not a fishing spot.

He also claimed that fishermen actually fished further away from the contentious site.

Fahmi added that data from the Penang fisheries department showed the catch rate between 2015 and 2020 was much higher compared with before 2014, despite five reclamation projects taking place throughout the state.

However, Jedi said that Fahmi should not rely solely on the number of boats in an area to identify fishing hotspots.

“The focus should be on detecting and monitoring the fishermen’s drift nets, which are commonly employed by coastal fishermen in this particular area.”

Jedi also urged Fahmi to focus on specific catch and not just overall catch to obtain a clearer picture.

For instance, it said the catch of the gelama fish saw a 67.65% drop to 1,861 tonnes in 2022 from 5,771 tonnes in 2013.

Similarly, prawns caught had declined from 2,882 tonnes in 2013 to 2,169 tonnes last year.

It said similar trends were also reported for crabs, Indian mackerel, and belanak.

“It is inaccurate to claim an overall increase in catch when the department of fisheries data shows a decline in crucial fish species for both consumers and fishermen.”