PETALING JAYA: The Fisheries Department’s Fish Seed Release Programme is helping to rebuild fish stocks, raising marine and inland catch volumes while boosting fishermen’s livelihoods and national food security, says its director-general Datuk Adnan Hussain.
He said the programme, which has been carried out for more than a decade, has led to rivers, reservoirs and coastal waters now showing “clear and measurable” gains in both marine and inland catch.
“Based on our data, releases carried out under this programme last year have helped push up marine catch fisheries by more than 21% compared with 2024, while inland catch fisheries rose by over 13.6%,” he said in a written response to The Star.
Citing data from Penang, he said a total of 6,168,920 fish and freshwater prawn seeds were released into public waters in the state between 2012 and 2026.
“In 2025 alone, we also released 15,505kg, or about 15 tonnes, of cockle seeds,” he said.
Adnan said the bulk of the releases comprised giant freshwater prawns (udang galah) and tinfoil barb (lampam sungai).
Over that 14-year period, the department released 4,983,680 giant freshwater prawn seedlings and 1,479,998 tinfoil barb seedlings. The choice of species is deliberate to preserve the ecological balance.
He said the department conducts regular fish inventory exercises in river systems to understand the composition and abundance of existing stocks before any release is planned.
“Almost every year, we carry out fish inventories to identify what species are present and in what numbers in specific rivers. The timing, locations and types of seeds we release are then matched to these findings.
“This ensures the released species are compatible with the habitat and that we are reinforcing what nature already supports, rather than disturbing it,” he said.
Adnan said strict safeguards are in place to prevent non-native or invasive species from slipping into the system.
“We provide detailed specifications to suppliers. Every batch of seeds must be verified by our Fisheries Research Institute.
“This is how we prevent the accidental introduction of foreign or invasive species that could harm local biodiversity,” he said.
He said the programme is backed by specific allocations under the government’s food security agenda, including funds for seed production, inventories and release operations.
“For 2025, we received an allocation of RM880,000 under the food security strengthening initiative, specifically the programme to optimise land use in cooperation with state governments,” he said.
“This funding goes into producing and sourcing high-quality seeds, conducting inventories and carrying out the actual releases in rivers, reservoirs and coastal areas.”
Beyond the biological and economic outcomes, Adnan said the fish seed releases are also used as a public education platform.
“Every time we conduct a release, we try to involve the local community, schools and youth groups.
“We want Malaysians to understand why protecting our fishery resources matters and why they should not be releasing foreign species into local waters,” he added.
He said the recent gains in catch figures show how stock enhancement programmes can complement traditional fisheries management measures such as licensing, gear controls and protected areas.
“With development pressures, habitat degradation and climate variability, our fishermen are facing very real challenges.
“We cannot rely only on regulations and enforcement; we must also actively help nature recover,” he said.
Adnan said more support is needed to build on the positive outcomes already felt.
As such, he urged the government to increase annual allocations for these programmes.
“With adequate and consistent funding, we can further optimise species selection, expand coverage to more rivers and coastal areas, and continue to support the well-being of our fishing communities,” he added.
