Fishing in barren waters

These skiffs berthed in a man-made lagoon in Teluk Kumbar on the southern coast of Penang island are only equipped to net prawns in the cove area less than 1km from shore. The catches by the inshore fishermen there are too low to record, but trawlers that fish in waters tens of nautical miles out in the sea have recorded about 10,000 tonnes of prawns each year since 2011. Photos: The Star/Wan Mohizan Wan Hussein

The Chinese New Year feasting will start soon, and the middlemen have passed the word around. Grade A prawns (extra large) caught off the coast of Penang are now RM67 per kilo, fresh off the boat. By the time they reach the local wet markets, these jumbo prawns will surpass the RM100 per kilo mark, to as much as RM120.

The prawn fishermen in Teluk Kumbar on the southern coast of Penang island are giddy with the lucrative prospect.