PETALING JAYA: Malaysia will focus on developing broodstock for three key marine fish species under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) from 2026 to 2030 to ensure a steady supply of high-quality fingerlings for the country's marine aquaculture industry.
The three species are Asian seabass (siakap putih), milkfish (ikan susu) and golden pompano (bawal emas).
The Fisheries Department said the Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) Tanjung Demong in Besut will serve as the national marine fish broodstock development centre, spearheading research, breeding technology, broodstock production and technology transfer to aquaculture operators and technical officers.
Deputy Fisheries director-general (Development) Datuk Azahari Othman said broodstock development was the foundation of producing quality fish seed and remained one of the department's priorities in supporting the industry's growth.
"The three species were selected based on their production potential, market demand and the availability of breeding technology.
"Under the 13MP, we aim to continuously produce quality broodstock, eggs and fingerlings to meet the needs of the country's marine aquaculture industry," he said during a visit by Public Service Commission chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Jailani Muhamed Yunus to FRI Tanjung Demong on Thursday (Aug 6).
Azahari said the institute would continue to focus on genetic improvement, breeding, nutrition and broodstock health management to develop high-quality local broodstock.
He said the initiative would also reduce reliance on imported broodstock while ensuring locally developed breeding technologies could be adopted by the aquaculture industry.
Asian seabass remains the country's leading marine aquaculture species, accounting for about 67% of total marine finfish production in 2024.
Research during the 13MP period will focus on selecting broodstock with faster growth rates, stronger disease resistance and consistent breeding performance.
The institute has also achieved a milestone by producing Malaysia's first milkfish eggs through natural spawning.
To date, it has produced 20 million eggs and more than 200,000 fingerlings, with some distributed to 17 aquaculture operators under a pilot project to expand milkfish farming.
Future research on milkfish will focus on developing local broodstock populations, improving gonad maturation, year-round egg production, hatchability and larval survival.
For golden pompano, research will focus on producing quality broodstock, improving breeding performance, ensuring consistent egg production and enhancing larval rearing techniques.
The species is also considered suitable for expansion through sea cage farming and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).
Besides broodstock development, FRI Tanjung Demong also serves as a training and technology transfer centre for technical officers and aquaculture operators.
