Selangor government organised ikan bandaraya catching competition to reduce the fish’s population in its waterways. — Filepic
STUDIES are being carried out to identify the commercial value of suckermouth fish, locally known as ikan bandaraya, in yet another move to eradicate Selangor’s waterways of the invasive species.
Selangor infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Izham Hashim said the state government was collaborating with Universiti Selangor on the matter.
“Initial studies indicate that ikan bandaraya have a high commercial value, ranging from agriculture to farming sectors.
“For example, ikan bandaraya can be used as feed for other fish species and the production costs may be up to 30% cheaper than other feed.
“Ikan bandaraya is also high in protein, which makes it suitable for use as fertilisers,” he said at the Selangor State Assembly sitting at Bangunan Dewan Negeri Selangor in Shah Alam.
He said this in reply to Datuk Harrison Hassan (PN-Jeram) who asked for updates on the Selangor government’s initiative to reduce ikan bandaraya in its waterways.
In September, the state launched a campaign to catch ikan bandaraya at selected rivers with involvement from the local communities.
To encourage public participation, the programme offered a RM1 reward for every kilogramme of fish netted.
Izham said about four tonnes of ikan bandaraya had been caught during operations at Sungai Langat and Sungai Damansara to date.
The campaign, he said, would be continued next year targeting other types of invasive species too.
“So far, public reception has been positive and the initiative has helped increase awareness of this issue,” he added.
In a supplementary question, Harrison requested the state government to expand the campaign to other water bodies.
Several lakes in Bandar Puncak Alam were known to contain ikan bandaraya, posing further risks to local species, he added.
Datuk Noorazley Yahya (PN-Bukit Melawati), in another supplementary question, asked if there were plans to explore ikan bandaraya as a food source.
To this, Izham said although a handful of health experts had said ikan bandaraya was safe to consume, there was a stigma around the species.
“I am told it tastes like chicken. Maybe we can organise a cooking competition for ikan bandaraya,” he said in jest.
