Move to keep invasive fish at bay

THE Suckermouth catfish, native to South America and known locally as ikan bandaraya, may soon have a bounty on their heads.

Selangor infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Izham Hashim said the invasive catfish was disrupting the ecosystems, affecting local fish and causing erosion of riverbanks.

The state government is considering incentivising the capture of the fish from rivers, he said.

“This is because of their rapid breeding rates which led to their widespread presence across the Klang Valley including in Sungai Klang, Sungai Selangor and possibly Sungai Bernam.

“We need to streamline it (campaign) at the state level.

“We are educating the people and aim to make them aware of the condition of our rivers,” he said during a local fish conservation programme at Denai Sungai Langat in Bangi, Selangor.

He also said that state was reviewing river fishing methods and aquaculture practices to ensure fishery sustainability.

“The revision will help the Selangor Fisheries Department to efficiently monitor the entry of foreign fish into local waters.”

The programme involved the removal of non-native fish species where about 2,000 Suckermouth catfish, weighing over 700kg, were caught in Sungai Langat.

“The average weight for each fish is 600g. The size is of great concern,” said Izham.

The catfish, he said, could be processed into pellets and sold as fish feed.

Izham said the fish, with its armour-like skin and sharp fins, were usually kept in aquariums to feed on algae and keep tanks clean.

“Once they grow larger, fish owners release them.

“If thousands are kept and then released, they can disrupt our ecosystem,” said Izham.

Some 116 volunteers from Komuniti Pemburu Ikan Bandaraya attended the event, a collaboration of state Fisheries Department, state Drainage and Irrigation Department, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Civil Defence Force, Lembaga Urus Air Selangor and Air Selangor.

During the event 10,000 ikan lampam (Tinfoil barb) fish fry were released into the river.