The “fishermen” targeted in Malaysia, one, one hunting at a time | Environmental news

Bushong, Malaysia On the morning of the last Sunday, about ten men with the fishing window renewed the banks of the Clang River outside the Malaysian capital in Kuala Labor.

Wiping the river, men throw their nets in contaminated water. The nets window are open and sank quickly under the weight of metal chains.

In terms of standing on the bank of the river, they started clouds in their nets, which are already full of dozens of black catfish.

“You do not see any other fish. Just this,” said Mohamed Hazaq, the leader of the “Foreign Fishing Squad” in Malaysia. Away from the river.

None of the fish that were hunting that morning was sold in the nearby markets or food stalls. The only purpose of the campaign was to execute the SUCKERMOUTOH, which is one of the increasing number of gas species that in recent decades dominated fresh water habitats throughout Southeast Asia.

Once it is brought to commercial or amateur reasons, the gas fish not only threatens local species outside the food chain in Malaysia and other places, but they also spread diseases and cause great damage to local environments.

Gase fish is a problem all over the world, but experts say the issue is very physical in the huge Malaysia.

“More than 80 percent of the rivers in the Clang Valley have been invaded by foreign fish types, which may cause the extinction of the original water life of the rivers,” said Dr. Calithasan Kelasam, an expert in the International Environment Center in Malaysia.

“It grows in all other major rivers in Malaysia,” Kellasam said, explaining how types like Suckermouth have the ability to multiply quickly and survive in dirty waters, and leave local fish on the losing side.

He said that, regardless of the suckermouth, the waterways in Malaysia are now threatened by types such as the aggressive peacock bass, the jawy and the Redail thickness.

While the full range of the problem was not yet known, the Fisheries Management in Malaysia, after a four -year study until 2024, found gas in 39 regions in almost all states of the Malaysia Peninsula and on the island of Labuan, including dams, lakes and major rivers.

Disturbed by the threat, a small group of citizens gathered together to fight the water invaders.

Under the leadership of Haziq, they work to restore Rivers in Malaysia simultaneously.

Invading

Fish fishermen began to fight citizens fighting invasive species during the country’s COVID-19 insurance, when Haziq, former health care consultant, turned into hunting as a hobby in a river near his home in the Central Silangor state. It was found that every famous fish was from the SUCKERMOUTOH collection, also known as “Pleco” or “IKAN Bandaraya” – which is translated as “Fish Fish” in the Malay and is preferred by amateurs to maintain clean aquariums, where suckermouth feeds on algae, lively foods and deadly fish.

Born in South America, types of suckermouth were introduced into the waterways in the United States, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, often when the owners empty them in rivers, channels or dams or liberate them after they grow very large in the water pelvis.

Because of its thick, peeled skin, it is usually avoided by the largest predators in Malaysia, and can grow to about half a meter (1.6 feet).

As below nutrients, it is known that the thickness of the snow eats other types and destroys nesting sites. The thickness of the catfish on the banks of the river also causes the nest, causing its erosion and collapsing, which is a serious environmental issue in Malaysia exposed to floods, where the winds of monsoons at the end of the year bring torrential rains.

The central bank in Malaysia said in 2024 that floods are the cause of 85 percent of the country’s natural disasters, with their frequency increased since 2020.

Although your favorite fish should fish, discover that Suckerfish Roe can be used as a bait for other larger fish, and got some money to sell their eggs to other hunting lovers. He also got the following by placing its exploits on social media. Then more research led him to identify the threats posed by gas species.

Harziq began to attract similar fishermen in thinking, and in 2022, they decided to form a Suckermouth hunting group, where they gathered almost every week in a river to carry out a execution.

Their general file and their popularity grow. The group membership has now grown to more than 1000, and it has a strong fan of social media.

“People were asking about how to join our group, because we were looking at the ecosystem,” said Haziq.

Firstly, the state of Cellangor and the rivers in Malaysia in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, the fishing group recorded approximately 31 tons of Succermouths alone in 2024. They also visited rivers in other states in Malaysia with the expansion of their campaign.

Get rid or use of research or cooking and consumption?

During a chase in the Clang River earlier this year, Hazak and his companions spread on the banks of the river on a mission to find out the SUCKERMOTOT number that they can capture during one picnic.

But searching for gas fish can be difficult. Without boats, fishermen must go into fast -moving water from muddy banks, while moving in underwater debris like garbage on the bottom of the river.

All the fish that flared up was almost a gas type, but once from a while, they were doing a local clear.

“Harwan (the head of the snake)!” The previous diver in Syuhaly Hasibullah, 46, shouted, as a small fish showed half the size of his arm, taken from a network containing several succermouths.

And he said: “This is a rare occurrence! There were many of them in the river.”

Haziq said if the fishermen find many invasive species in their net, they will organize another picnic to the same site, bringing more people to participate.

On the day they started to calculate the number of gas fish that they could hunt on one picnic that turned into half a ton of Suckerouth in just three hours – many of them had to put them in bags.

Previously, fishermen buried clouds in deep holes away from the river. Now, they found more creative ways to get rid of unwanted fish in general.

In this event earlier this year, suckermouths was delivered to a local businessman looking to try fish to a form of coal known as biomus.

Some local universities have also started searching for the potential use of SuckerMouth. One of the university research articles explores the capabilities of the Suckermother Collagen use of pharmaceutical use, while its last use is fertilizer or even as a kind of skin.

On some occasions, the fishermen even eat the fish they are hunting, although this depends on the river from which they were taken.

While some red fish or African fish fish are delicious dishes by some, suckermouth, also known in India as “Devil Fish”, is a slight light option – but not from the question when it comes to a quick grill on the banks of the river.

“If the fish is from the Klang River, then we do not eat it,” said Muhammad Abeer Motkarar for a path, before dozens of fishermen broke their fast during the sacred Islamic month in Ramadan.

“But if it is from the Langat River, he is still fine,” said Zolkivli, where dozens of Suckermouth were arrested in the Lachat Less -contaminated River, which is located in Bangui about 25 km (16 miles) south of Kuala Labor, seasoning in Satay and grilled on magic.

Studies from Bangladesh and Indonesia have found code of catfish with high levels of heavy metals and pollutants. An article in 2024, conducted by the University of Malaysia Technological Mara, was martyred a study that showed that the level of pollutants in Suckerouth was “severely affected by the level of pollution in the river.”

“If we don’t behave now, it will be worse.”

While the Ministry of Fisheries in Malaysia said that there are no records for local species threatened by gas, but original fish face threats.

Local fish either became a prey or had to fight for survival, as the administration discovered in a poll that 90 percent of the fish in six rivers in the Siengor and Kuala Lumpur area are now foreigners.

The Director General of the Ministry, Ednan Hussein, said that various measures were put in place, including the launch of about 33.6 million original fish and pores in rivers throughout the country from 2021 to 2025 to balance the influence of gas fish.

Late last year, the Cellangor State government also reached a scheme to pay fishermen Ranjet Malaysian ($ 0.23) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of Suckermouth fish removed from two rivers. An official said that the fish captured would have turned into animal feed and organic fertilizers.

Restrictions were also imposed on importing some foreign aquatic species – including the entire species and groups – to Malaysia last year, and added that programs and cooperation with fish fishermen also helped in dealing with the problem.

In one river in the state of Cellangor, Adnan said that the amount of gas fish that was caught after the elimination program fell 600 kg (1300 pounds) at the May 2024 event to more than 150 kg (330 pounds) after four or five months.

However, Professor Professor of Fish at the University of Malaysia Trinjano Amirodine Ahmed said it was “almost impossible” to exterminate the entire gas fish in the country.

“Many species live in (original water bodies) and get rid of gas species through water poisoning is not at all possible,” he said, adding that there are approximately 80 types registered in Malaysia so far.

He also warned that the high temperatures caused by climate change may allow even species such as the be thick of the metastian, predatory, bonding in the cold source water in Malaysia.

“They are here to stay,” Amirodin said.

He said: “It is simply, that the environment is often similar to its country of origin, or that these species are very adaptable.”

This is an environmental war that can never be won is a point where Haziq and its colleagues are fully aware of fish. He said that almost every river who visited it recently had nothing but gas fish.

He added that their mission will continue, along with hunting and public awareness, which prompted thousands to follow the videos on social media on this topic.

“Yes, this fish will not completely disappear from our rivers,” he said to Al -Jazeera.

“But if we don’t act now, it will be worse,” he said.

He added: “It is better to take action from leaving the matter alone.”

“At least we can reduce the population, instead of allowing it to seize our local festivals completely.”