(MY) Battling to keep fighting fish species from extinction

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Battling to keep fighting fish species from extinction - New Straits Times*25

Sep 2006*

Sam Cheong <news

 

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*The fighting fish has never been in the same league as the Arowana, the

Japanese 'koi' or the Flower Horn Fish, even though most Malaysians have

reared them sometime in their lives. But some wild species of the fish are

dying out, says SAM CHEONG, who spoke to a group trying to save them.

*

THE Malaysian Betta Society is a little-known group with a tough agenda: To

keep the Malaysian fighting fish from extinction.

 

They have a lot on their plate as 20 of the 52 species of wild fighting fish

in the world come from Malaysia and some of them are facing extinction.

 

But people like society president Mohd Dzulhardy Mohd Adanan, whose first

love is the fighting fish, the effort to save the species is well worth the

time.

 

According to him, some of the species endemic to Malaysia like the Betta

livida will die if efforts are not made to conserve their population.

 

Found only in Tanjung Malim, it is slowly dying out due to development.

 

" We should be proud of the fact that the Betta livida is found only in

Tanjung Malim.

 

" As there is worldwide appreciation of this particular species, we should be

doing our best to make sure it does not go extinct, " he said.

 

He said the fish population in Tanjung Malim was rapidly dwindling due to

human encroachment into their natural habitat.

 

Dzulhardy said that even the natural habitat of the common Malaysian

fighting fish, genus Betta imbellis, was being threatened.

 

In the 1950s and 1960s, one could find them in ditches and padi fields.

 

But they are dying out, again due to development and a lack of interest in

conserving them because of their limited commercial value.

 

" They are not as colourful as their short and long-finned cousins such as

the Betta splendens. So, there's little commercial value in conserving this

species. "

 

Fish breeder Bobby Chua from Durian Tunggal, Malacca, said wild Bettas were

harder to spawn in captivity.

 

He added that efforts were being made to re-stock the species before they

became extinct.

 

" Right now, I am trying to breed a wild specimen from Borneo called the

Betta macrostoma that can grow up to 15cm, one of the largest fighting

fishes in the world. "

 

Chua has invested more than RM4,000 in setting up a hatchery for the giant

fighting fish where he hopes to cross-breed it with a show fish to create a

new strain.

 

" In captivity, it's hard to create the right environment for the Macrostoma

to breed. That's why they are so scarce.

 

" My stock was found on the outskirts of Miri in Sarawak. This particular

specimen is endemic to that part of the world. "

 

Chua also lamented the fact that Malaysians had to depend on foreign efforts

to keep the fish from going extinct.

 

" The breeding of such species is being pioneered by Betta enthusiasts

overseas. It seems to me that fish with low commercial value may go extinct

right under our noses unless we do something about it. "

 

Much of the knowledge, added Chua, was sourced from foreign web forums.

 

" In terms of technology and technique, we in Malaysia are behind. The top

Betta breeding and exporting countries are Thailand and Indonesia. Right

now, there are fewer than 12 professional and full-time breeders in the

country. "

 

While fighting fish in the wild are dying out, the exact opposite is the

case with species with commercial value.

 

Thanks to people like Chua, designer species are making their presence felt

and bringing in the dollars.

 

While the average Malaysian may be happy to spend RM5 for a fighting fish,

there are those who will part with up to RM680 (US$150) for designer

species.

 

Chua, who fell in love with fighting fish at nine, said there was a

mind-boggling variety of new " strains " .

 

There are two classes of fighting fish, the show fish and its wild cousin.

Both are highly sought after by enthusiasts and experts from the US and

Europe.

 

" I began breeding the Bettas at my farm in Durian Tunggal, Malacca, four

years ago. From my imported stock, I have spawned a few generations of

fighting fish and some of them are sold to overseas buyers through my

website, " he explained.

 

The 32-year-old has also won some local competitions that have heightened

his credibility as a breeder of champion Bettas.

 

He said it required a lot of time and patience to maintain and breed the

fish.

 

Apart from producing a variety of high-end fishes, Chua also cultivates his

own " live " fish food to sustain his hobby. The Internet, he added, had been

a crucial factor in keeping his interest going.

 

With an initial investment of RM2,000, Chua started producing his champion

Bettas, selling them to buyers in the US for very high prices.

 

Since 2002, he has produced more than 1,000 fish at his farm to cater to

foreign buyers.

 

 

*Fish fans bitten by the 'Betta bug'*

 

EXACTLY who are the people spending hundreds of ringgit on fighting fish?

 

Kuala Lumpur-based fighting fish owner Pank Jit Sin rekindled his old hobby

last year, becoming very serious in getting the best out of his investment.

 

" I got bitten by the Betta bug and purchased 15 fishes that cost me about

RM1,500.

 

" Right now, I am concentrating on breeding a strain called the Salamander

Butterfly which I got from Thailand. "

 

Pank said rearing show Bettas is not a hobby for everyone as they require

plenty of know-how and commitment.

 

" You'll need to have plenty of time to maintain the fighting fish and its

environment and this is very labour-intensive.

 

" To show them off at competitions, the fish have to be flawless in terms of

presentation, colour and pattern. "

 

Malaysian Betta Society president Mohd Dzulhardy Mohd Adanan said there was

a lack of awareness when it came to identifying the fighting fish.

 

" Generally, people think that the colourful show fishes are caught from

irrigation canals and peat swamps.

 

" As a matter of fact, the majority of the exotic-coloured Bettas are

imported from countries like Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia. "

 

He said that show Bettas are highly favoured by collectors and breeders for

their vibrant colours and good pricing.

 

Basically, he added, there were two variants of the fish. First, there's the

short-tailed Betta followed by the long-tailed variant.

 

Further down the scale, fighting fish are divided into " full-moon " and

" half-moon " strains. Such, commented breeder, Chua, were the advancements in

genetic technology pioneered in the US.

 

Dzulhardy added the tropical environment in our country had also played a

crucial role in the production of high-quality show Bettas.

 

By the way, the record-sale for a single champion fighting fish stands at

RM5,700.

 

" I hope people won't jump on to the bandwagon by thinking that high-quality

fighting fish are just cash cows, " he said.

 

For more information, log into www.betta4u.com and the Malaysian Betta

Society's internet forum at www.bettasocietymalaysia.tk