‘Viral news of dead tilapia true, infected fish still safe to eat’
KUCHING: The Department of Agriculture Sarawak ( DAS) has confirmed that the viral news on social media concerning dead tilapia fish reported at a cage farm in Batang Ai as true.
Its director Datu Lai Kui Fong said the incident was reported to DAS on July 9 by a private farm upon which the department immediately took action by collaborating with experts from the Marine Fisheries and National Fish Health ( Nafish) Malaysia, and mobilising all available manpower through the setting- up of an operations centre at Batang Ai on July 11 to monitor the situation, undertake containment and advise the farmers on appropriate measures.
“The whole expert team was at the site on July 10,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He pointed out that among the actions taken by the team were to immediately identify the affected locations within the aquaculture zone; restrict movement of fish and boat from affected areas to
So far, the study has narrowed the causal agent to suspected Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) and shall be further confirmed after further laboratory text, which is expected to be known by this month-end. Datu Lai Kui Fong, Department of Agriculture Sarawak (DAS) director
content spread; collect samples for laboratory analysis; and track down possible source of the suspected causal agent.
“Affected farms are also advised to remove all infected fish and dispose through the proper standard operating procedures ( SOP).”
Currently, Lai said three out of eight locations are affected within the whole of the Batang Ai aquaculture area, while the infected fish have all been removed, treated and disposed.
“So far, the study has narrowed the causal agent to suspected Tilapia Lake Virus ( TiLV) and shall be further confirmed after further laboratory test, which is expected to be known by this month- end,” he revealed, adding that other types of fish in the affected locations are not infected.
Lai assured that the situation is currently under containment with a decline in the number of dead fish, and that no new areas are affected. Nevertheless, he advised farmers of infected areas to clean and disinfect their cages.
“They are also advised to stop stocking with tilapia but they can stock with ‘patin’, ‘lampan jawa’, ‘jelawat’ and other indigenous fish later.” He also gave his assurance that the infected tilapia fish is not harmful to humans and is safe for consumption.
“TiLV is non- zoonotic and is easily killed by cooking,” he stressed. Recently, a post on social media stating that the tilapia fish in Batang Ai had contracted TiLV went viral. The post advised consumers not to purchase and consume tilapia fish in view that there is a 60 to 70 per cent mortality at Batang Ai.