THE Sarawak government is intensifying its efforts to restore and preserve the state’s freshwater and marine ecosystems through expanded native fish release programmes and the deployment of artificial reefs.
Deputy Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development (M-FICORD) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail said native fish fry continue to be released in selected rivers, particularly in areas with active Tagang (community-based fisheries management) systems.
The fry, which include species such as tengadak, empurau, lampam, and siakap, are produced at inland fisheries stations overseen by the Sarawak Department of Agriculture.
“In Betong Division, since 2019, we have conducted fish fry releases in locations such as Sungai Layar, Batang Saribas, Beting Maro, and Kabong,” he said.
He was responding to a question from Mohamad Chee Kadir (GPS-Kabong) during the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly sitting today.
Dr Abdul Rahman also highlighted the recent Invasive Alien Fish Hunting Programme in the Sarawak River, an initiative aimed at tackling the growing threat of non-native fish species.
The programme, carried out in collaboration with various agencies, included a public awareness campaign and field inventory of inland fish resources.
“Fishing methods such as rods, nets, cast nets, traps, and longlines were used along a 1-km stretch from the Petanak Wet Market jetty to the Kampung Gersik passenger jetty.
Invasive species caught were disposed of, while native species were returned to the river,” he said, adding that similar initiatives will be conducted in other parts of the state.
On marine conservation, Dr Abdul Rahman said the Sarawak Marine Fisheries Department (JPLS) is actively implementing the Fisheries Resource Development and Management Project through the deployment of artificial reefs to protect breeding grounds and deter trawling activities.
“As of 2024, a total of 201,972 artificial reefs have been deployed across 77 sites.
“In Kabong waters alone, 17 units were installed on July 20 last year, and another 17 units will be added in August this year,” he said.
The artificial reef project, running from 2021 to 2025, is funded with a RM20 million allocation.
The Sarawak government has earmarked RM30 million from 2023 to 2025 to extend the reef deployment across 746km of the state’s coastal waters.
