Dr Rundi (centre) during a meeting with officials from the FRA in Tokyo.
JAPAN (Oct 30): The Sarawak government is formulating a long-term strategy to safeguard the state’s river ecosystems from the growing threat of invasive fish species, said Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.
The State Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development said these invasive species mainly comprise foreign aquarium fish released into the wild, as well as cultured species that have escaped from aquaculture farms into local rivers.
“Among the most prominent are suckerfish, redtail catfish, giant snakehead, hybrid catfish, and Amazonian species such as arapaima and pacu,” he said in a statement.
Dr Rundi, who is currently on a working visit to Tokyo, Japan, said the issue is not unique to Sarawak, as Japan also faces similar ecological challenges from invasive Amazonian species in its inland waters.
He noted that many of these fish were originally imported for the ornamental and aquarium trade.
“However, their escape into rivers and lakes has become a major ecological concern, as they threaten the balance of native aquatic biodiversity,” he said.
He explained that Japan’s Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA) has been at the forefront of developing innovative control measures, including the capture of fry and eggs, and the use of molecular biotechnology to produce genetically sterile fry that prevent invasive species from breeding in the wild.
“Japan’s experience offers valuable insights for Sarawak. We intend to study and adapt their successful approaches to strengthen our long-term management of invasive fish,” he said.
In Sarawak, the Department of Agriculture (DOA) has been conducting public awareness campaigns to educate communities about the dangers of releasing non-native fish species, said Dr Rundi.
The department also strictly prohibits the release of non-indigenous fish — such as Java barb, Vietnam Sultan fish, hybrid catfish, and Amazonian pacu — during river restocking programmes, he added.
“Only indigenous species like tengadak, semah, empurau, river catfish (baung), and giant freshwater prawn (udang galah) are released into approved river systems to maintain ecological balance,” he said.
He said Sarawak also supports national initiatives to curb the spread of invasive species through recapture programmes targeting foreign fish already present in local rivers.
Looking ahead, Dr Rundi said the state government plans to emulate FRA Japan’s strategies, including targeted removal of fry and gravid adult fish, as part of its broader ecological management plan.
“In the long term, Sarawak aims to explore the genetic development of sterile foreign fish species for use in the ornamental and aquaculture industries.
“This approach will allow us to sustain economic opportunities in the fish trade while ensuring the protection of our native biodiversity,” he said.
