Papar: Local residents here have been strongly advised to be wary of freshwater and one or two types of saltwater fish that may be on sale at the township's wet market here following the discovery of scores of dead fish and prawns in the Papar River at Kg Kuala on Monday.Pantai Manis Assemblyman Datuk Seri Abdul Rahim Ismail (pic) said among the types they must be extra cautious are mullet fish (ikan kembura), silver catfish (ikan patin), catfish (ikan sembilang), red snapper (ikan merah) and sea bass (ikan selungsung).He feared they could be sold to public at the wet market by irresponsible people who may have poisoned the river for personal gain without any regard for the negative impact to the socio-economy of the people and natural environment.
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"I was surprised when the villagers of Kg Kuala, including the traditional fishermen, told me that dead fish were found in the river and riverbanks including some prawns on Monday (Feb 15)."I have long been the elected representative here and this is a first such incident ever in the village," he said.
Rahim who is also Umno Papar Divisional Chief said poison was suspected to have been used to catch fish in the river."I really hope that the relevant authorities will thoroughly investigate the cause and take immediate action.
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I am also calling on the authorities to do a regular inspection at the wet market and check whether any of those affected fishes are being sold there. "If there are any, confiscate them and find out the source of the sellers so that action can be taken against the culprit/s," he said.
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Meanwhile, Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) Chairman for Kg Kuala here, Saibun bin Mudin told Daily Express the incident has directly affected the income of traditional fishermen and avid anglers in the village."The exact location is at the river mouth of Sungai Papar between 250 and 300 metres from the Kg Kuala housing. Some villagers and fishermen were surprised and puzzled seeing many dead fish, especially medium and large-sized ones floating at the riverbank and surface of the river on Monday afternoon. "The most disappointing part is that the daily income of traditional fishermen will be affected for about two to three months as they cannot catch fish at the river which they suspect has been poisoned," he said, adding that the income of each traditional fisherman is between RM80 and RM120 per day.
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Saibun said the river mouth at Kg Kuala along Sungai Papar has been a good source of freshwater and several types of saltwater fish as the seawater flows into the area. He recalled a similar incident in Kg Sapat a few months ago."The fishermen suspect that the culprits used a strong poison because even the catfish that live inside the riverbed were also killed. The classic way of poisoning the fish which is called 'menuba ikan' would not even kill the medium and big sized fishes as the poison would only leave them in a daze," he said.
