Fish as pets is one of the trending hobbies right now.
(Source: Berita DIMENSi / Izzati Zaini)

KUALA LUMPUR – When owners are unsure what to do with their large cuddly pet fishes, they commonly release them into rivers, thinking that this is the right approach for the fish. Unfortunately, they have little or no clue that these seemingly harmless aquarium pet fish will turn into invasive species, causing more harm to the habitat

Based on an article by NST, many wild fish species in Malaysia, such as Lampam, Kelah, Baung, Kaloi, Snakeheads (haruan and bujuk), and Malaysian Clarias species (catfish), are threatened by invading species or predators that prey on Malaysia's small fishes.

Berita DIMENSi interviewed Muhammad Azrin Aliff, a graduate of Diploma in Fisheries from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Kampus Bintulu Sarawak, via Google Meet. According to him, Malaysians are still unaware of the dangers of releasing pet fish into rivers when compared to other countries.

“Even though The Fisheries Department (DoF) has gazetted the Fisheries Regulations that banned imported fishes that could destroy the ecosystem river in Malaysia, still, the illegal markets are still operating because of high demand here,” he said.

The presence of these illegal markets can be demonstrated by the discovery of a giant-sized verified Arapaima gigas or dragon fish species dead in Taman Tun Fuad lake, Sabah, in 2019 which was reported by an article from Berita Harian. This species is one of 16 foreign fish species banned from import or introduction into the country.

Arapaima fish found dead in Taman Tun Fuad lake, Sabah.
(Source: The Mirror)

“Another worst invasive species is Goldfish that many people are still not aware of. The reproduction rate of Goldfish is very high which leads to overpopulation in the wild. The fact that it can grow bigger up to 16-19 inches explained why it can dominate the area or habitat of other fishes.

“One of the effects of releasing pet fish to the wild is that these predatory species will disrupt the food chain of the indigenous species. Not only that, they will also destroy the habitat of the original species.

“For example, Tilapia Fish normally lay unfertilized eggs on the bed of the lake or tank. However, when these pet fishes intrude into the Tilapia Fish’s habitat, the breeding process cannot take place as usual,” said Azrin.

When asked about the long-term repercussions of this crisis if it is not addressed quickly, he responded that if native species become endangered and extinct, it will have an influence on fishermen's revenue because none of Malaysia's native fish species will survive.

Azrin also said, the initiatives from the government and NGOs are not sufficient to solve this problem.

“There are too many public waters in Malaysia if we want to ask the authorities to keep an eye on the irresponsible people who release their pet fishes to the river.

“So, what the public can do is, always be aware of their surroundings, and if any illegal actions happen, report it to the authorities immediately,” he added.

In order to prevent the public from releasing alien fish into public waters, DoF has recommended all state governments to amend Kaedah-Kaedah Perikanan (Fishing methods) in February 2019.

Until today, there have been no particular restrictions prohibiting the public from releasing fish into the river. As a result, will Malaysia's river ecosystem survive or be destroyed?

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