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52 Suriati Ghazali families, and financial assistance. For a sustainable living, training is given to people in fishing communities in order to restructure them into viable economic activities. Fish related businesses are developed in order to generate and diversify jobs and income, such as fish processing and boat building (FAO 2006). SAFEGUARDING NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH FISHING As noted above, fishing communities in Malaysia face fluctuating resource abundance. In order to understand the livelihood prospects, five coastal fishermen were interviewed. Some informants commented on the difficulties of fishing today, as there are less fish compared to some 10 or 20 years ago. Interestingly, culpability is directed to trawlers. No informant related this to the 2004 tsunami because many of them have recovered from the stress and shocks of the tsunami. One interviewee, Ahmad (80s), a part-time fisherman, commented: “In former times this area was excellent for fishing and was rich with fish, prawns and crab. We had never been lacking in food. Nowadays there are so many new technologies but we have no capital to buy them - let alone a trawler! Now our lives are getting more difficult than before. Trawlers take almost all fish and little or none are left for us”. Another interviewee, Yusuf (30s) supported this information by providing details on how trawlers damaged their source of livelihood. He said: “Formerly I worked for a trawler, but now I own a boat and go fishing myself. I know that trawlers are not allowed to fish close to the shorelines but they don’t always obey this rule. In my opinion, the trawlers should be banished. They always fish nearby (near to the coast). The trawling net damages the fish and the seafloor. They have ruined our fish, money and food”. It is interesting to know why some traditional fishermen continue fishing while there is complaint on overfishing by trawlers. Many of their village friends have left fishing, or combine fishing with small businesses, such as Ibrahim. Ibrahim (50s) is regarded by his friends as a prosperous traditional fisherman because he owns a repair workshop for the boats, which he rents to tourists. He stated: “Fishermen nowadays earn less and the income is not enough for a living. I earn more from my tourist boats. The beach boys will come and take the boats, and they (the beach boys) will deal with the tourists and take them to the location, usually the Penang National Park”. Socioeconomic differences persist in traditional fishing village and widen the gap between the rich and the poor. While ‘poor’ traditional fishermen safeguard natural and cultural heritage by using simple technologies, their ‘richer’ counterparts promote appreciation towards natural environment, which contributes to ecotourism. Some of the younger generations who gained valuable fishing experience from helping their father and neighbours, decided to become ‘beach boys’, which also help promote visits to the national park. Many of them still prefer fishing and regards fishing fulfils an emotional rather than an economical function; providing satisfaction and an attachment to place. For example, Fauzi (20s) noted: “Today young people from this village still prefer fishing, but they usually do it part-time. Most of them are working in the factories, offices or in the hotels nearby. During the weekends they go fishing along the coastal areas. They don’t do it for money, but because they love it. We cannot rely on fishing alone these days. There is very little fish. Inshore fishermen usually get only three or four fish a day or none at all!” As these comments indicate, overfishing is a problem in Teluk Bahang. Yahaya (1993) notes that trawlers are often to be blamed for this. She argues that coastal fishing resources in peninsular Malaysia are being exploited to the point where overfishing occurs. In Malaysia, overfishing is caused both by the open-access nature of the resources, and technological growth such as trawling. The rapid growth of the modern trawl-based sector in the mid-1960s not only put intense pressure on fishery resources, but also led to violent conflicts with artisanal fishermen, whose traditional fishing grounds had been blatantly encroached upon by the Malaysian Journal of Environmental Management 12(1) (2011): 47-58
Malaysian Journal of Environmental Management 12(1) (2011): 47-58 Suriati Ghazali 53 trawlers. Supporting Yahaya’s suggestion, my interviewees saw trawlers as their main competitors for fish. Interviewees have also complained of the trawlers’ non-compliance with the regulation implemented by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia, which states that the trawler should fish at least 5 miles from the shoreline. The Department of Fisheries has divided Malaysian fisheries into four zones. Zone A, which covers all areas within five miles of the shoreline and is reserved for traditional fishing gear operated by traditional fishers. Zone B covers waters between 5 to 12 miles from the shoreline and is reserved for vessels with trawl or purse seine gear and less than 40 gross registered tons (GRT). Zones C and D are reserved for bigger trawlers with higher gear capacity. The zoning and the policy has been established in order to protect artisanal (traditional) fisheries. The zoning regulation therefore prohibits trawling within the 5 mile limit and allocates fishing grounds by types of gear, that is, traditional versus commercial fishing gear (Viswanathan et al. 2000). Though not within the remit of this study, the tensions between traditional fishers and trawlers are of growing concern. The west coast fishing grounds of Malaysia are generally muddy and shallow, which facilitates dragging the trawl net on or near the ocean bottom. Trawlers catch fish indiscriminately, with a highly variable species composition, of which about one third may be unusable fish (Viswanathan et al. 2000). In Teluk Bahang trawlers are exploiting fishery resources illegally. Moreover, it is the wealthier fishing entrepreneurs who can afford to purchase a trawler. Viswanathan et al. (2000) have also reported that about 80% of the fish caught in Malaysia is from the inshore areas. This concentrated inshore fishing has led to depletion in fishery resources. This affects the livelihood of traditional fishing communities adversely. In other words trawlers are against the safeguarding of natural and cultural heritage. SAFEGUARDING NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH HOMESTAY PROGRAMME AND OTHER HERITAGE-RELATED ACTIVITIES Homestay is a form of tourism programme that allows visitors to rent a room from a local family to learn the local lifestyle as well as to improve their language ability. In Malaysia the Homestay programme is promoted under the guidance of the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, with the aim of developing the country’s tourism industry as well as encouraging rural communities to become involved for additional income (Ghazali 2005; Ghazali et al. 2006; Ghazali et al. 2010; Abdul Kader et al. 2009). It also aims to produce tourism entrepreneurs among rural communities and is in line with the government's of raising the monthly income level of the rural poor (Bernama 14.7.2010). It is estimated that there are 2,000 registered Homestay operators throughout Malaysia (Malaysia 2011). As we saw above, heritage tourism relies on environmental and socio-cultural assets to attract visitors (Fyall & Garrod 1998; Millar 1991). In this light, Homestay can be considered heritage tourism which has roles in preserving cultural and natural heritage, and also contributes to the local economy by providing employment (Bowitz & Ibenholt 2009; Greffe 2004). Homestay in Malaysia offers many of the cultural attractions desired by tourists, such as traditional handicrafts, participatory activities, food and performances. In 2008, the Homestay programme in Teluk Bahang involved a group of 11 village community members (Penang State Government 2010b). The Homestay coordinator plays an important role in planning activities for the tourists who stay in Teluk Bahang. The activities aim to introduce the visitors to local customs and traditions. Among the activities are: sharing meals with the villagers, jungle trekking in Penang National Park, bathing and swimming in the river, fishing, cooking and preparing local food, eating using the hand, sitting cross-legged, wearing Malay traditional clothes, playing traditional games, flying kites and spinning tops (My-Island-Penang.com 2010 and personal interview, May 2010). Natural environment in and
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