PETALING JAYA: Organisers of a fishing contest who released the Chao Praya catfish for a competition at Tasik Biru in Rawang, Selangor, have apologised for their actions and pledged to take full responsibility for their oversight, says the Selangor Fisheries Department.
In a statement, the department said they met with the programme’s organisers after being alerted about the incident from a recent social media post.
“Organisers admitted oversight in their actions and will take steps to rectify their mistake,” said the department.
This includes reminding participants not to release their catch in water bodies during or after the programme.
“The organisers also pledged to set nets at water exit points of the lake to ensure the invasive fish species will not enter general waterways,” it said.
The competition takes place today.
The organisers said they will work with the department and other agencies to remove the said species from the lake.
In the same statement, the department’s director Noraisyah Abu Bakar reminded all quarters not to release any invasive fish species in lakes or rivers.
“Those intending to release any fish should consult state or district fisheries offices.
“We will work closely with other agencies including the local authorities to prevent these issues from repeating,” she said.
The organisers claimed only one Chao Praya catfish was released into the lake along with 300kg of other local catfish.
The Star previously reported that almost all urban rivers, such as those in the Klang Valley, are found to harbour non-native species that either breed quickly or prey on native species.
According to the Fisheries Department, invaders include the African catfish, African black tilapia, Siamese (Mekong) catfish and of late, the algae suckermouth catfish (Hypostomus plecostomus), popularly known as ikan bandaraya or pleco due to its bottom-feeding habits.
