(MY) fishing banned

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Wednesday August 30, 2006-The Star

 

Goverment bans fishing at Kenyir Dam to protect fish numbers

 

*KUALA TERENGGANU:* The state government has banned fishing at Kenyir Dam

with immediate effect.

 

It had, earlier this year, already repealed 80 fishing licences issued to

local fishermen in a move to prevent the fish population of the dam from

dwindling.

 

Forty licences had been issued almost a decade ago, on top of the 40 which

had been handed out to the locals by the previous state government.

 

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the ban would be enforced by the

Central Terengganu Development Board.

 

" Our turtles are gradually becoming extinct and the same fate will befall

exquisite species like the *kelah* found in the dam if we don't take such a

drastic move at once, " he said after touring the dam, about 72km from here,

with an entourage from Ketengah and the media yesterday.

 

He said the Petang catchment area of Kenyir Dam had been declared a

sanctuary for the *kelah*, commonly known as Malaysian Mahseer, and

therefore fishing was prohibited there.

 

Idris said the state government was now concentrating on efforts to increase

the fish population of the dam by initiating fry rehabilitation at the

site.

 

" We are releasing fry into the dam and, hopefully, the numbers will soar by

the year-end during the monsoon season, " he said.

 

He said the growth cycle for the fry was about a year and fishing at the

site could be allowed when the time was appropriate.

 

Idris said tourists to the dam were more interested in the rich

bio-diversity of the lake, and one of the elements they would look eagerly

to was surely the abundance of freshwater fish.

 

" There must be a kind of revitalisation to multiply the fish population in

the dam without any adverse effect on the eco-system, and the best move is

to stop any casting of nets here, " he said.

 

Idris said the state had provided financial aid to the locals whose

livelihood was hit by the revocation of the licences.