KUALA LUMPUR: The presence of bandaraya fish, which dominate rivers, especially in the Klang Valley, needs to be seen as a critical threat as it not only causes the extinction of local fish but also damages the country's waterways.
The situation is increasingly worrying as fishing communities have expressed difficulty in finding local fish due to the fact that most rivers have been conquered by this invasive fish species.
Bandaraya Fish Hunter Community founder Mohamad Haziq A. Rahman said most rivers had been "conquered" by bandaraya fish, scientifically known as Pterygoplichthys pardalis, with its impact being more significant than other invasive fish species.
He said that since the group began its periodic catch activities early last year, more than 3,200 bandaraya fish had been removed from rivers in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
He said among the rivers where the fish were caught were those known to be inhabited by predator fishes that preyed on other fish larvae, including Sungai Klang, Sungai Kuyoh in Bukit Jalil, the tributary of Ayer Hitam (Puchong) and Sungai Semenyih.
"In Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, the situation is more critical, which may be related to the lifestyle of residents.
"Many of those in the capital have a hobby of keeping ornamental fish, especially in aquariums.
"One of the invasive fish kept is the bandaraya fish because of its natural ability to clean aquariums and tanks by consuming algae and fish food remnants, as well as dead fish.
"In addition to feedback from fishing in other states, rivers in Penang have also been reported to be flooded with these fish.
"These fish can grow up to 1.5kg, but (for those who keep ornamental fish), when they grow bigger, they tend to release them into rivers, thereby causing their population to breed rapidly."