PSI: Fishing activities take place much further from reclamation site

In a statement, Penang Infrastructure Corporation (PIC), which is a special purpose vehicle to ensure smooth implementation of the project, said the fishing zone for southern Penang Island's coastal fishermen is vast and is up to eight nautical miles (14.8km) from the coastline.

"The local fishermen usually catch fish in areas located beyond the project site. We received this information from local fishermen and we verified this by conducting a physical boat count and by using satellite images that captured the movements of fishing boats in the southern Penang Island waters.

"As we could confirm that most of the fishing activities took place much further from the reclamation site, the state government decided to give fishermen who owned boats with larger ones, equipment like powerful engines, sonar, GPS and net haulers to make it more convenient for them, as part of the project's Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP)," it said.

PIC said the plan also offers financial aid, new jetties with proper facilities, training, job and business opportunities, education support for their children, a home ownership scheme and a 250m wide navigation channel that enables fishermen to go to sea regardless of the tide.

PIC also denied allegations saying that the project would have widespread impacts and it is an exaggeration to say that a reclamation project in Penang waters will impact places as far as Kedah and Selangor.

It said mitigation measures will confine the impact to the project site based on the assessment provided in the approved Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, which entails that the reclamation will be done in phases, therefore the impact will only occur gradually and be controlled at the work site.

"The hydraulics study, which was approved by the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) last year, has shown that even without any rigorous implementation of mitigation measures, the sediment dispersion will be limited close to the reclaimed area.

"The PSI layout was optimised to ensure minimum impact on the surrounding environment while the silt curtains will further prevent the dispersion of sediment," it said, adding that the project will be under the watchful eyes of relevant authorities, namely the Department of Environment (DOE).

On ecology recovery and carbon reduction, it said the project will implement the PSI Ecology Offset Masterplan (PEOM), which aims to minimise the impact on marine life and create new habitats that boost the sustainability of the fisheries sector which includes planting mangroves, building eco-friendly shorelines, releasing fish and shrimp fries, deploying artificial reefs and fish aggregating devices as well as providing funds for marine-related research.

"PSI is designed with the future in mind, and that means it must be adaptable to climate change and other challenges that may come. This is why the PSI development is important to the state's economy.

"The project does not spell the end for any group or community. It is a new beginning for Penang. It is a project that will give us the opportunity to build a better and more economically resilient future for the generations that come after us," it added.