KUALA BERANG: Floods bring a stroke of luck for a man as he nets an 18-kilogramme 'kelah merah' or red mahseer in Sungai Berang, near Kampung Pengkalan Ajal here.
Nordin Embong, 57, said the hard-to-find fish was caught about 5pm yesterday in a net set by his nephew Mohd Hafifi Abu Bakar.
"My nephew cast the net around 3pm yesterday, and two hours later, as he tried to retrieve it, he was caught off guard by the unexpected weight.
"To his surprise, the net brought in a kelah merah that was almost half the size of a human adult," he said when met at his home in Kampung Pengkalan Ajal, here today.
Nordin, an inland fisherman, said that ikan kelah merah is priced between RM150 and RM200 per kg or can fetch up to RM3,600 each.
If this fish is still alive, the price will be doubled, he said.
"Yesterday, I received a call from someone keen on buying it alive for breeding purposes, but he cancelled his intention when the fish died a few hours after arriving home.
"During the flood season, many residents resort to inland fishing to earn extra income and the giant ikan kelah merah was the first to be caught here," he said, adding that the fish caught by villagers are usually purchased by restaurant operators around Kuala Berang. – BERNAMA