MASJID TANAH: Five officers from the Malaysian Fisheries Department were injured by a giant arapaima fish during a capture operation here on Friday (Oct 11).
According to Sinar Harian, the seven-hour operation, which involved team members from both Melaka and Selangor, faced challenges due to the aggressive nature of the fish.
The department director-general Datuk Adnan Hussain said that the officers, aged 35 to 59, suffered shortness of breath and swollen knees with two of them being rushed to Alor Gajah Hospital.
Despite the difficulties, the team managed to successfully capture three arapaima, each weighing approximately 200kg and measuring about 2.7m in length.
Adnan said that the fish had been kept in a water tank beneath an unused building and been fed by locals who were unaware that keeping arapaima was illegal.
Following the realisation, the owner voluntarily handed over the fish, and they have now been transferred to Zoo Negara.
