The Malaysian Insight

THE wind is heavy and the seas blustery from October to December. The monsoon is here and the rains mark the start of bad weather in the east coast.

During the monsoon, the fishermen here cannot go out to the sea as they often sail more than 15 nautical miles from the coast.

For some fishermen, the bad weather is a blessing. The waters near the beach get muddy and become shelter for many small fish. It feels like a feast here as many amateur fishermen and anglers seek shade under umbrellas, trying their luck to catch a fish or two.

Despite the monsoon, many types of fish can be found near the coast and the muddy waters are home to fish like gelama, tamban, bawal, jemedi and edek. Gelama is best used for making dried fish, to be sold to local customers where it can reach to RM12 per kilo.

The full-time fishermen, however, use trawls. One of those using the nets is Azmie Hamzah from Kg Seberang Takir Baru in Kuala Terengganu. During the monsoon, the 39-year-old will fish near the beach, using a 120m drag trawl with the help of up to 10 people. They can earn up to RM300 a day from this method of fishing.

But Azmie and other fishermen are worried these days. They fear the catch could dwindle due to the construction of a drawbridge at the estuary of Sg Terengganu, linking Kuala Terengganu city to Kuala Nerus via Seberang Takir. The RM240 million bridge can be drawn up for ships to pass through – a first in Asia – when it is completed in 2018. – December 16, 2017.