Shellfish bounty for the picking at Pantai Chenang
LANGKAWI: The transition phase of the monsoon is a blessing in disguise for islanders living around Pantai Chenang, one of the most popular tourist spots here.
Over the past two days, heavy storms and strong waves resulted in various types of shellfish such as siput kabung (a type of mussel) and siput paha ayam (pen shell) being washed ashore.
Nearby residents thronged the beach with friends and family in tow, carrying baskets, pails and plastic bags to collect the washedup shellfish.
Mohamad Fitri Azizan, 38, from Ulu Melaka, decided to join the “party” with his family after getting to know about it via social media.
“I read about the shellfish being washed up on the beach on Facebook.
“Strong winds and storms in Langkawi may have caused the shellfish to be carried by strong currents to land on the beach,” he said.
Fitri said he and his wife had been collecting the shellfish since 10.30am yesterday, filling their pail almost to the brim, which they would use to make mussel fritters, among others.
Langkawi District Civil Defence Force Officer, Kapt Ahmad Shahfikri Darus, said the shellfish were first detected on the beach near the lifeguard tower on Thursday evening following a storm and strong waves.
He said the public started to flock to the beach since early yesterday to collect the shellfish with many more visitors expected today.
The Langkawi District Civil
Defence Force lifeguards were also on standby to ensure visitors’ safety, he added.
A check showed that workers of a solid waste management company were also at the location to collect rotten shellfish. — Bernama