Article: Saving the river & fish

Saturday June 6, 2009

Facts you must know:

·Our river fish can become extinct. There are 380 recorded species of freshwater fish in Malaysia. Now, there are hardly 100 species left

·The kelah, sebarau, kelesa and tengas are more valuable alive in the water than they are dead. A dead kelah is worth about RM60 per kg, but dedicated anglers are willing to pay up to RM1,500 to catch-and-release the same fish in our rivers.

·If our rivers are depleted of these fish, you have no wild places to fish. Fishing is not about just catching fish, it's about overcoming challenges in natural surroundings. If we lose the river fish, you are only left with alien fish in small ponds and lombongs.

·If these fish disappear, local boatmen and guides will lose their livelihood.

·River fish, if we conserve them, will multiply and provide for both local communities and visiting fishermen.

·Many of our fish are unique to our country or the region. We would be the losers if they become extinct.

·Kelah, kelesa, temoleh, toman, sebarau, tengas and tapah can be world-class sportfish.

·These fish provide a challenge for anglers, on par with the sportfish of the world like trout, salmon, tigerfish, Nile perch, wels, taimen etc.

·If we lose them, international fishermen will not come to our country, and Malaysians will lose.

There are more than one million recreational fishermen in Malaysia, and probably 500 million fishermen around the world.

This represents a huge industry that involves fishing tackle, charters, hospitality, tourism etc.

Helping Malaysia save it's rivers

Kagum (Kelah Association of Malaysia) was founded by a group of anglers and Malaysia Fishing Net (MFN) members who were concerned about the dwindling populations of our river fish, and the degradation of the rivers by pollution and other human activities.

The kelah, an endangered river sportfish, serves as the symbol for river conservation.

Kagum's vision is: Towards Malaysia being a mature ecotourism destination with well-managed rivers and conserved gamefish, especially the kelah.

Kagum objectives

·To build awareness on the importance of conserving the kelah and its habitat.

·To initiate, participate and/or support relevant projects related to river and kelah conservation.

·To support relevant ecotourism programmes which are geared towards river and kelah conservation.

·To ensure that conservation or ecotourism activities would involve and benefit the local communities.

These objectives cover the following areas:

·Education & research

·Conservation projects

·Ecotourism promotion

·Socio-economic support to local communities.

What you can do to help

·If you are a recreational fisherman, practise catch-and-release. l Release the small fish; give them a chance to grow.

·Release the very large fish; they carry strong genes, so let them reproduce.

·Eat fish only when necessary, so don't kill too much.

·Protect the river environment

·Don't dirty the river. Don't throw any chemicals into the water. Don't use the river as your toilet

·Bring home the rubbish

·Be a role model

·Practice the above habits, even though others around you may not. Sooner or later, they will follow.

·If they ask you why you are doing it, then explain it to them, but without being condescending.

·Influence your friends and family to do the same

·Report any case of unscrupulous fish killing or river pollution/destruction

·Most rivers in our national parks prohibit commercial fishing methods like netting, explosives, poisons etc. Report these cases to the local authorities, or to relevant NGOs like PeMM and MNS

·Stop buying river fish, whether for food or your aquarium

·When the buying stops, the killing can too

·Help Kagum. Join us in our activities, or share your knowledge or opinions.

·Help us in cash or kind.

For enquiries or more information, contact schnick7@streamyx.com or ubobmy@yahoo.com, or visit http://kagum.org

River clean-up

One June 7, there will be clean-ups at:

·Sungai Tua, Ulu Yam Dam, Selangor

·Sungai Ulu Langat at Kampung Manggis, Pangsun

(June 6)

·Sungai Tekala, Semenyih

·Sungai Batang Padang Padang, Ulu Yam

·Balik Pulau, Penang

Unless mentioned above, the clean ups will be held simultaneously at 9.30am. A Kagum representative will conduct a briefing on river safety and programme objectives, and coordinate a friendly competition among participants.

This project is supported by Tupperware. In line with their Environmental Sustainability policy to discourage the use of disposables, participants of the river cleaning project will get a tumbler and food container each, and win great Tupperware prizes too.

All Tupperware products are made to last a lifetime, to be used and reused safely reducing the need for disposables and hence promotes cleaner, garbage-free rivers.

If you are interested in joining the event at any of these venues, contact Kagum at 019-320 4646 or e-mail: schnick7@streamyx.com

Related Stories:
River & fish rescue

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Living 6 June 2009