Fish from Amazon found dead in KK lake

KOTA KINABALU: A huge fish weighing more than 100kg was found floating in the Tun Fuad Stephens lake in Bukit Padang near here.

It drew the attention and excitement among the public and anglers.

The 108kg fish measuring about 2.4m in length,was identified as Arapaima,a native of the Amazon River.

It was discovered by joggers at about 6.30am yesterday.

A photo of the fish,which was widely circulated on social media, piqued the interests of locals asking whether the once protected lake was now open for fishing.

Mayor Datuk Nordin Siman said the park was still under City Hall management and no one was allowed to fish at the lake.

“The fish was already dead when joggers spotted it,and we sent people to check,” he said.

He added that officials from the Fisheries Department and Universiti Malaysia Sabah research team will find out the cause of its death.

For now,they believe it could be due to old age.

Asked how a fish from a species that originates from the Amazon ended up in the lake,Nordin said a fish breeder might have released it in there years ago as the person could no longer take care of it.