Selangor govt offers RM1 per kilo bounty for invasive ‘bandaraya' fish

FISHING enthusiasts can now fish for a good cause as the Selangor government will pay RM1 for every kilogramme of suckermouth catfish, locally known as "ikan bandaraya", that is caught.

From Sept 1 to Oct 1, these fish caught in Selangor’s waterways can be brought to a designated location in exchange for the reward, said Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.

“These invasive species have invaded nearly all rivers as well as lakes and mining ponds in the Klang Valley.

“It is threatening the existing ecosystem and affecting our native fish species,” he said during the state-level World Water Day celebration in Pandan Perdana on Saturday (Aug 10) morning.

State infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Izham Hashim added that the location for the drop-off point would be revealed soon.

StarMetro recently reported that the Fisheries Department has released more than 1.11 million native fishes into rivers over the past five years to combat the issue.

So far, four operations have been initiated this year, resulting in the release of 218,000 native river species, including freshwater prawns and ikan lampam (tinfoil barb).

Ikan bandaraya, ikan baung ekor merah (Asian redtail catfish) and peacock bass are among the species the department has identified as invasive.