Majority of fish species in Sungai Mambau are invasive, says Negri Sembilan Fisheries Dept

SEREMBAN: Only two local fish species have been found in Sungai Mambau here, with the rest being foreign species such as suckermouth catfish and black tilapia. This discovery was made during a two-day mission to control foreign fish species, which concluded on Sunday (Oct 13).

This finding indicates the river has been dominated by these foreign fish, Negri Sembilan Fisheries Department director Kasim Tawe told Sinar Harian.

“We only managed to catch two local fish species, namely two haruan fish and one native catfish, following reports from local residents about the declining catch of local fish,” he said.

“The programme, which concluded today, successfully captured 1,094kg of foreign fish, including 942kg of suckermouth catfish and 149kg of black tilapia,” he added after the Inland Fisheries Inventory and Foreign Fish Control Programme with the Negri Sembilan Fisheries Department in Sungai Mambau on Sunday.

Also present was the Mambau State Assemblyman, Yap Yew Weng.

The mission to control foreign fish species in Sungai Mambau, which ended on Sunday, involved individuals and organisations.

The programme, which began on Saturday (Oct 12), received cooperation from the Urban Fish Hunters Community, Village Development and Security Committees (JPKK), and residents from Kampung Kayu Ara, Kampung Batu 3, Kampung Sri Mantau, and Kampung Mambau.

Kasim mentioned that the Negri Sembilan Fisheries Department is also gathering information on the population of suckermouth catfish in several rivers around the Seremban district.

He noted that the foreign fish catch, specifically suckermouth catfish, would be disposed of by burying, while the black tilapia would be distributed to programme participants.

He emphasised the serious threat posed by these foreign fish species, as they can destroy the natural habitat of native fish in river waters, including the red-tail baung.

“Monitoring conducted with the Inland Fishing and Fishermen Community shows that red-tail baung can only be found in two rivers: Sungai Triang in Jelebu and Sungai Muar in Kampung Londah, Tampin.

“However, this programme indicates that the threat to red-tail baung in Negri Sembilan’s rivers is not yet serious, as we found fewer than five fish in each programme we conducted,” he said.

The Fisheries Department advises inland fishermen and the public not to release or dispose of foreign fish species, particularly red-tail baung, into public waters, as these foreign fish threaten the ecosystem by breeding rapidly.

He added that these fish become predators and disrupt the entire food chain, competing for space and food with native fish species if left in state waters.