‘Ikan patin’ at risk of becoming endangered

freshwater is at a risk of being categorised as an endangered species if the water quality of Sungai Temerloh continues to deteriorate.

However, such a scenario would not happen overnight, but instead it could take between 30 and 40 years due to global warming.

International Islamic University Malaysia’s Marine Science Department head Associate Professor Dr Nur Nazifah Mansor said murky river water could lead to fish contracting diseases.

“Sometimes, this will result in death, and some diseases might delay the growth of fish or affect their quality. All these factors are damaging effects for aquaculture and fish farming.”

Nazifah, who studied fish health and disease, said practising proper farming methods, including feeding fish with suitable pellets and obtaining fish fry from recognised farms, could improve caged fish farming techniques.

Former state Fisheries Department director Datuk Adnan Hussain said climate change could have affected the growth of

He said earlier this year, the water level in Sungai Pahang rose and dropped fast, which resulted in change in water temperature.

He said this affected the caged fish farming industry.

He said checks by the department revealed that the supply for was stable despite the growing demand.

“There is a high demand from restaurant operators in the Klang Valley and we estimate that between 10 and 15 tonnes of fish are transported to Kuala Lumpur every week,” he said, adding that the production in Temerloh was around 45 metric tonnes a month.

A Fisheries Department spokesman said murky river water could cause mud to enter fish gills, causing respiratory problems, growth delays and death of fish.

“This could be the case in Sungai Pahang, which has caused to require more time to grow before they can be sold.

“Fish needs oxygen to survive and a lack of oxygen could be harmful,” he said.

Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said logging, especially in Ulu Tembeling near Taman Negara in Jerantut, had affected cage fish farms in Sungai Pahang.

She said the drop in harvest had affected the livelihood of fish breeders.

“Logging upstream and the clearing of hillslopes contributed to the prolonged dry season and floods, which resulted in the drop in river water level.”

“Peka had, in 2015, raised concerns about sand mining along Sungai Pahang and logging upstream,” she said, adding that the authorities should keep the situation in check as the livelihood of many depended on it.