Project Nelayan Sungai Batu
DOCUMENTING THE FISHING PRACTICES OF THE SUNGAI BATU FISHING COMMUNITY AMIDST THE PENANG SOUTH ISLANDS RECLAMATION
About Sungai Batu Fishing Unit
The Sungai Batu fishing unit comprises approximately 50-60 members or fishermen and is located in Southern Penang. “Unit” refers to the way in which fishermen are organised across Penang.
About Our Project
Following the start of the Penang South Island (PSI) reclamation project in 2024, fishermen in Sungai Batu (southern Penang) are facing the threat of their livelihoods and fishing practices being lost.
Against this context, we are a group of students who hope to document the fishing practices of the community and hear their thoughts on the situation, before the reclamation situation worsens. This website thus serves as a record of our work, including a cultural map, cultural glossary and a documentary.
To ensure that what we document is faithful to what the community do, we work closely with the Sungai Batu community, as well as an non-governmental organisation (NGO), JEDI (Jaringan Ekologi dan Iklim).
Articles
This article describes the fishing journey of Sungai Batu fishermen, from preparation, to navigating their way at sea, to actually casting their nets, and to selling their catch.
However, land reclamation has significantly reduced their catch, forcing them to fish further out, which is riskier and requires costly, larger boats. This threatens their livelihoods and alters local cuisine, as different seafood types may replace traditional coastal catches.
This article examines the commerce of Sungai Batu, where fishermen and vendors sustain the coastal economy through a bustling fish market and community-driven promotions.
Traditional practices persist alongside modernisation, but land reclamation and rising costs threaten livelihoods. The fishermen’s association supports the community through subsidies and new ventures like tourism. While fish farming is proposed, challenges remain, making long-term resilience dependent on balancing tradition with innovation.
The Team
We are a group of six students from the National University of Singapore (NUS), working on an Impact Experience Project under NUS College.
Our project seeks to document the cultural and fishing practices of the fishermen in the Sungai Batu fishing community.
FOLLOW US
More information about the fishermen from our junior group:
FOLLOW JEDI
More information about our partner organization
