A VIDEO of a group of individuals releasing fish fry into a river went viral on social media recently.
Captions of the video alleged that the group released thousands of fish fry in Sungai Hulu Bernam, Tanjung Malim, Perak.
However, some questioned if the group had the necessary approvals to release the fish fry.
Is it true that anyone wanting to release any species of freshwater fish into Malaysia's inland waters, including rivers, lakes and ponds, must obtain official permission from the respective state Fisheries Department?
VERDICT:
TRUE
Perak Fisheries Department director Mohd Ghazali A. Manap told Bernama that official permission is needed before anyone can release any species of freshwater fish into inland waters, including rivers, lakes or ponds.
He added that this is stipulated in the department's guidelines, which aim to protect local freshwater fish species.
"If there is any party wanting to release fish fry, whether it is a native species or otherwise, it is necessary to obtain our permission first.
"They need to come to our office and inform us what the real purpose of the release is, what species they want to release and so on.
"We do not want this matter to be taken lightly, because it involves the importance of local fish species,” he said when contacted by Bernama.
Recently, a video went viral showing the actions of several individuals allegedly releasing thousands of fish fry in Sungai Hulu Bernam, Tanjung Malim, Perak.
Mohd Ghazali said that a comprehensive investigation of the incident was under the purview of the Selangor Fisheries Department.
"It was the Perak Fisheries Department which filed the complaint, but after investigating, we learned that the incident occurred in Selangor.
"Hence, any action or investigation has been handed over to them for further action against the suspects who released thousands of fish fry, believed to be African catfish,” he said.
On Monday (May 13), Fisheries director-general Datuk Adnan Hussain reportedly said that the department is identifying suspects to assist in the investigation into the viral video clip.
