Perak Fisheries Dept Steps Up Efforts To Save Loma Fish From Extinction

KAMPAR, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- The Perak Fisheries Department is stepping up its breeding and conservation programme for the Loma fish species, which is facing the risk of extinction, at the Banding Inland Fisheries Complex in Gerik. 

Perak Fisheries director Mohd Ghazali A. Manap said a phased breeding project for the freshwater fish species was supported by a special allocation from the state government, which was channelled last year. 

“The department used the allocation to obtain loma broodstock from major rivers for breeding purposes. 

“The breeding and egg-hatching phases have been successfully carried out, but we still face some constraints in the grow-out stage to ensure the fish reach a suitable size before they can be released into public waters,” he said. 

He said this to reporters after attending the Randuk For Lampam Volume 5 programme here today, which was officiated by State Communications, Multimedia and NGO Committee chairman Mohd Azlan Helmi. 

Mohd Ghazali said if the grow-out phase achieves its targeted results, the loma fingerlings are expected to be released into Temenggor Lake next year. 

“The selection of Temenggor Lake as the release site is because the area is a major source within the Perak River basin, with the potential to support the survival and reproduction of the species,” he said. 

He said conservation efforts are also urgently needed due to pressure from overfishing, particularly in the Sungai Rui area in Gerik, which is among the species’ main habitats. 

“The local community has a tradition of collecting and eating loma fish eggs, including using them to make food products such as fermented fish (ikan pekasam). The collection of these eggs directly disrupts the population because no new fish can hatch,” he said. 

In another development, he said the threat posed by invasive alien fish species in Perak remains under control but requires continuous monitoring to prevent them from spreading further and affecting the balance of local aquatic ecosystems. 

“These invasive fish species generally have no natural predators in the local ecosystem, allowing them to reproduce and spread rapidly, thereby creating competition for food and habitat,” he said. 

-- BERNAMA