KAMPAR: The Perak Fisheries Department is stepping up its breeding and conservation programme for the loma fish, which is at risk of extinction, at the Banding Inland Fisheries Complex in Gerik.
Perak Fisheries director Mohd Ghazali A. Manap said the phased freshwater breeding project was backed by state funds channelled last year.
“The department used the allocation to obtain loma broodstock from major rivers for breeding purposes.
“The breeding and egg-hatching phases have been successfully carried out, but we still face some constraints during the grow-out stage to ensure the fish reach a suitable size before they can be released into public waters,” he said, Bernama reported.
He said this after attending the Randuk For Lampam Volume 5 programme here yesterday, which was launched by state communications, multimedia and NGO committee chairman Mohd Azlan Helmi.
Mohd Ghazali said if the grow-out phase achieved its targeted results, the loma fingerlings were expected to be released into Temenggor Lake next year.
“The selection of Temenggor Lake as the release site is because the area is a major source within the Perak River basin, with the potential to support the survival and reproduction of the species,” he said.
He said conservation efforts were also urgently needed due to pressure from overfishing, particularly in the Sungai Rui area in Gerik, which is among the species’ main habitats.
“The local community has a tradition of collecting and eating loma fish eggs, including using them to make food products such as fermented fish (ikan pekasam). The collection of these eggs directly disrupts the population because no new fish can hatch,” he said.
