KOTA KINABALU: A circular has been issued ordering the removal of koi (Cyprinus) freshwater fish to curb the spread of Koi Herpesvirus (KHV), with action to be taken against those who fail to comply.
State Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the directive, issued on Wednesday (April 8), is a biosecurity measure to protect Sabah’s inland fish resources.
“With this order, all Tagal (restricted river or pond) committee chairpersons must identify how koi fish came to be present in their respective Tagal areas and immediately remove them from rivers, ponds or any water sources connected to the Tagal system,” he said.
“They must also ensure that no koi fish are released or transferred into other public waters, destroy all such fish in accordance with the department’s biosecurity guidelines, and submit an implementation report to the district Fisheries Office within 14 days from the date of the circular,” he added.
Jamawi said the directive was issued under the Sabah Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Enactment 2003, as well as fish disease management and biosecurity bylaws, following decisions made at the department’s policy and planning meeting.
He added that the Fisheries Department, through its district offices, would carry out scheduled monitoring to ensure compliance.
“Failure to comply with this circular will result in legal action being taken against those responsible,” he said.
On Monday, Jamawi said comprehensive measures would be taken to address the mass deaths of freshwater fish, locally known as pelian, following confirmation that the outbreak was caused by KHV since Aug 1, 2025.
He said the large-scale die-off, which affected several major rivers in Keningau, Tambunan, Tenom, Penampang, Tuaran, Ranau and Sipitang, had disrupted the ecosystem balance.
