Malaysia and Indonesia have tangled over a host of issues, territory and cultural icons among them. But the latest spat between the two countries involves the dragon fish or arowana (Scleropages formosus), with millions of export dollars at stake.

Malaysia is attempting to patent a variety of the dragon fish known as the Malaysian Golden that it believes originated from Bukit Merah Lake in Perak, but this move is drawing the ire of Indonesian breeders, who claim this variety originates from their country. This has led to Indonesian attempts to patent its own varieties in an attempt to protect its share of this lucrative market, worth millions of dollars annually.

Malaysian breeders are distinguishing the Malaysian Golden variety from its Indonesian cousin by the presence of six (vs. four) rows of shimmering scales on the fish.

The Malaysian Department of Fisheries has been working with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to develop a standard for identifying the Malaysian Golden, having invested hundreds of thousands of Malaysian ringgit in this project.

Based on DNA tests, "[w]e can prove to international trade organisations that our arowana is genuinely Malaysian", said Zaini Suleiman of the Department of Fisheries.

According to the chairman of Arowana Club Indonesia Stephen Suryaatmadja, "This could have been a cross-breed of the Indonesian Golden and their local arowana. If it is a pure breed, we should patent it as ours."

He added, "We want this fish stated as ours because it is a part of our national treasure. Why should anyone else lay claim to our natural resources?"

But the whole point of who gets to patent the new fish varieties may be moot, since fish species or varieties cannot be patented anyway.

Kuala Lumpur 7 November - Water from the Red Hills Lake is said to turn golden. What is a 'gold' here is the Asian Arowana, which is a rare and expensive fish.
Bukit Merah Lake, built in 1906 specifically for the purpose of irrigation and water supply for the District HQ and soluble, is the oldest man-made lake in Malaysia. Lake covering an area of ​​2.800 hectares, providing non-contaminated water sources continued. This lake water into the natural habitat for many plant and animal species, including the Golden Arowana Malaysia, one of four special species of Asian Arowana. Arowana breeding project near Bukit Merah Lake in the District HQ, Bangkok has grown from less than 10 entrepreneurs who are working on 300 ponds in 2000 to 70 enterprises involving 143 hectares of land with 3.808 pool in 2010.
Besides Perak, Johor is another major source of production for the Arowana. The value of the dibiakbaka Arowana in both states for the year 2009 is estimated RM48 million (Silver) and RM78 million (Johor). Nearly 95 percent of production is exported. Arowana production itself has been able to boost ornamental fish industry.
Ornamental fish industry in Malaysia recorded an annual growth of 43 per cent since the 2000's, to reach RM783 million in 2009 and is expected to reach RM1 billion in the year 2011 by Arowana grabbing RM250 million of the total. Ornamental fish industry's future is very promising because world demand is expected to increase at a rate of Arowana 2.5 to 4 per cent per annum.
In terms of the ornamental fish export destinations of Malaysia, the main destinations were the EU countries or the European Union led by the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy, followed by the United States and Taiwan, while China became an increasingly important destination.
Government bodies need to keep pace with this development opportunities so as not to drop support Arowana breeding in Malaysia. A right step in this direction is the identification of Agriculture as one of the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA). Sub-marine and aquaculture products under the NKEAs is a seven per cent of the contribution of agriculture to Gross National Income Malaysia in 2009. The potential to raise this figure is certainly due to the emphasis given to the selected sub-sectors with great potential to increase the income of the population and includes breeding Arowana. It is expected that a comprehensive approach will be adopted starting from breeding led to a distribution involving services and logistics support, such as agricultural biotechnology. In addition, the Economic Transformation Program (ETP) will also be shifted from small-scale agriculture to large industrial-scale companies to achieve economies of scale.
We have already seen some of this policy to fruition. For example, cooperation between the Fisheries Department of Malaysia Airlines' cargo service has facilitated the export of ornamental fish from the International Airport. Fish Health Management Centre and Quarantine at the airport is responsible for issuing fish health certificate, certificate of origin and other permits required to import and export of fish. Previously most of the ornamental fish exports from Malaysia via Changi International Airport, Singapore.
Recently, the Companies Commission of Malaysia has given approval to Arowana Breeding Venture Management Scheme (Scheme Venture Arowana Breeding Management), the standard scheme, the first legitimate interests in Malaysia in the field of breeding Arowana This is a step in the right direction. Interest scheme, which enables the investors that participate in the scheme of profit from the sale of children Gold Cross Back Arowana fish (Cross-back Golden Arowana). Such a scheme would attract more investment needed in the industry.
In addition to creating larger pools and more modern technology, the money invested into the scheme could be extended to research on the biology and behavior Arowana breeding aims to improve farming methods used today as well as breeding option to improve the quality and quantity of generation Arowana in the future. Since this scheme was strictly regulated, then each party, including investors, pembiakbaka and the industry as a whole will be of value.
However, to increase the demand for more efforts Arowana can do as organize more trade shows, such as targeted Akuafair pembiakbaka, exporters and importers of ornamental fish.Malaysia must enhance cooperative efforts in research and development (R & D) of the Fisheries Research Institute, universities and the private sector to improve the quality of ornamental fish, including Arowana. Besides that more land should be gazetted for Arowana fish breeding efforts to complete the preparation of their own water supply to avoid competing with the much needed water supply for paddy cultivation.
Competition is fierce. In terms of exports, Malaysia ahead of Singapore and Indonesia.However, like the color of Arowana fish scales, Arowana industry in Malaysia has a very bright future. Malaysia has the advantage of gold worth of water in Bukit Merah and should take advantage of these resources as best as possible.

translate from source Utusan Malaysia Online

****************************************************************************
Mampu jadi pengeluar dunia

Kuala Lumpur 7 Nov. - Air daripada Tasik Bukit Merah dikatakan mampu menghidupkan emas. Apa yang dimaksudkan dengan 'emas' di sini adalah Arowana Asia, iaitu sejenis ikan yang nadir dan mahal.
Tasik Bukit Merah, dibina pada tahun 1906 khas untuk tujuan pengairan dan membekalkan air bagi Daerah Kerian dan Larut, merupakan tasik buatan manusia tertua di Malaysia. Tasik yang meliputi kawasan seluas 2,800 hektar ini membekalkan sumber air tak tercemar yang berterusan. Air tasik ini menjadi habitat semula jadi bagi banyak spesies tumbuhan dan haiwan, termasuk Arowana Emas Malaysia, salah satu daripada empat spesies istimewa Arowana Asia. Projek pembiakbakaan Arowana dekat Tasik Bukit Merah dalam Daerah Kerian, Perak telah berkembang daripada tidak sampai 10 usahawan yang mengusahakan 300 kolam pada tahun 2000 menjadi 70 perusahaan yang melibatkan 143 hektar tanah dengan 3,808 kolam pada tahun 2010.
Selain Perak, Johor merupakan satu lagi sumber pengeluaran utama bagi Arowana. Nilai Arowana yang dibiakbaka di kedua-dua negeri tersebut bagi tahun 2009 dianggarkan RM48 juta (Perak) dan RM78 juta (Johor). Hampir 95 peratus daripada hasil pengeluaran dieksport. Pengeluaran Arowana sendiri telah dapat merancakkan industri ikan perhiasan.
Industri ikan perhiasan di Malaysia mencatatkan pertumbuhan tahunan sebanyak 43 peratus sejak tahun 2000-an, mencecah RM783 juta pada tahun 2009 dan dijangka mencapai RM1 bilion pada tahun 2011 dengan Arowana membolot RM250 juta daripada jumlah keseluruhan. Masa depan industri ikan perhiasan sangat memberangsangkan oleh sebab permintaan dunia terhadap Arowana dijangka meningkat pada kadar 2.5 hingga 4 peratus setahun.
Daripada segi destinasi eksport ikan perhiasan Malaysia, destinasi utama adalah negara-negara EU atau Kesatuan Eropah yang didahului oleh United Kingdom, Sepanyol dan Itali diikuti dengan Amerika Syarikat dan Taiwan manakala China menjadi sebuah destinasi yang semakin penting.
Badan-badan Kerajaan perlu bergerak seiring dengan perkembangan ini agar tidak tercicir merebut peluang menyokong usaha pembiakbakaan Arowana di Malaysia. Satu langkah yang betul ke arah ini adalah pengenalpastian bidang Pertanian sebagai salah satu Bidang Ekonomi Utama Negara (NKEA). Subsektor bagi produk marin dan akuakultur di bawah NKEA merupakan tujuh peratus daripada sumbangan pertanian kepada Pendapatan Negara Kasar Malaysia pada tahun 2009. Potensi untuk meninggikan lagi angka ini pastinya berpunca daripada tumpuan yang diberi kepada subsektor terpilih yang berpotensi besar untuk menambahkan pendapatan penduduk dan ini termasuk pembiakbakaan Arowana. Adalah dijangkakan pendekatan yang tuntas akan diguna pakai bermula daripada pembiakbakaan membawa kepada pengedaran melibatkan perkhidmatan sokongan seperti bioteknologi dan logistik pertanian. Di samping itu, Program Transformasi Ekonomi (ETP) juga akan beralih daripada pertanian berskala kecil kepada syarikat berskala industri besar untuk mencapai skala ekonomi.
Kita telah pun menyaksikan sesetengah dasar ini membuahkan hasil. Contohnya, kerjasama antara Jabatan Perikanan dengan perkhidmatan kargo Malaysia Airlines telah memudahkan ikan perhiasan dieksport dari Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa. Pusat Pengurusan Kesihatan Ikan dan Kuarantin di KLIA bertanggungjawab mengeluarkan sijil kesihatan ikan, sijil asal usul dan permit lain yang dikehendaki untuk mengimport dan mengeksport ikan. Sebelum ini sebahagian besar eksport ikan perhiasan dari Malaysia melalui Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Changi, Singapura.
Baru-baru ini Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia telah memberi kelulusan kepada Arowana Venture Breeding Management Scheme (Skim Pengurusan Pembiakbakaan Teroka Arowana), iaitu skim minat sah-taraf pertama di Malaysia dalam bidang pembiakbakaan Arowana Ini adalah satu langkah yang betul ke arah itu. Skim minat tersebut membolehkan pelabur yang ikut serta dalam skim mendapat keuntungan daripada jualan anak-anak ikan Arowana Emas Kacukan Balik (Golden Cross-back Arowana). Skim seumpama itu akan menarik lebih banyak pelaburan yang diperlukan dalam industri berkenaan.
Selain membina kolam-kolam lebih besar dan menggunakan teknologi yang lebih moden, maka wang yang dilaburkan ke dalam skim itu boleh disalurkan kepada penyelidikan mengenai biologi pembiakbakaan dan tingkah laku Arowana bertujuan menambahbaik kaedah penternakan yang digunakan sekarang serta juga pembiakbakaan pilihan untuk menambahbaik kualiti dan kuantiti generasi Arowana yang akan datang. Oleh sebab skim ini dikawal selia dengan begitu ketat, maka setiap pihak termasuk pelabur, pembiakbaka dan industri secara keseluruhan akan mendapat faedahnya.
Namun begitu, untuk meningkatkan permintaan terhadap Arowana lebih banyak usaha boleh dilakukan seperti menganjurkan lebih banyak pertunjukan perdagangan, contohnya Akuafair yang disasarkan kepada pembiakbaka, pengeksport dan pengimport ikan perhiasan. Malaysia perlu meningkatkan usaha kerjasama dalam bidang penyelidikan dan pembangunan (R&D) antara Institut Penyelidikan Perikanan, universiti dan sektor swasta untuk meningkatkan kualiti ikan perhiasan termasuk Arowana. Selain itu lebih banyak kawasan tanah perlu diwartakan untuk usaha pembiakbakaan ikan Arowana lengkap dengan persediaan bekalan air sendiri untuk mengelakkan dari bersaing dengan bekalan air yang sangat diperlukan untuk penanaman padi.
Persaingan adalah sengit. Dari segi eksport, Singapura dan Indonesia mendahului Malaysia. Namun begitu, seperti juga dengan warna sisik ikan Arowana, industri Arowana di Malaysia mempunyai masa depan yang sangat cerah. Malaysia memiliki kelebihan dari segi air be

PUTRAJAYA: Alert Malaysia Air-lines security personnel thwarted a 30-year-old man's attempt to smuggle protected arowana species to China on June 22, said Fisheries Department deputy director-general (development) Ismail Abu Hassan (pic).

He said security personnel had alerted Malaysian Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Service (MAQIS) officers after discovering water leaking from three checked-in bags on a flight to Canton.

“The MAQIS officers conducted checks and found 82 arowana fish (scloropages formosus) packed in plastic bags filled with water in the three bags. The man was detained,” he said here yesterday.

He said the man was held for questioning and released on a RM500 bail.

Ismail said the arowana, which are protected under the International Trade of Endangered Species Act 2008, were handed over to the Fisheries Bio-security centre at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

“The value of the seizure is about RM150,000 but each fish could fetch between RM3,000 and RM5,000 in the international market,” he added.

Ismail said the man faces a RM10,000 fine for each fish or a maximum fine of RM1mil or a jail term not exceeding seven years if convicted under the Endangered Spe-cies Act.

Ismail said there were 105 farms which were involved in breeding arowanas in the country.

“But only 27 farms have registered with the Fisheries Department to export their fish,” he added.

source The Star - Saturday 2/07/2011

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/7/2/nation/9020524&sec=nation

Residents in the Kerian district, Perak and Seberang Perai Selatan part of Penang wants the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry and the State Government to cancel soon Silver Arowana fish breeding project in Bukit Merah, claiming that they affected the operations of rice cultivation, the report Harakahdaily.

The largest rice growing areas in Perak that includes county Bagan Serai, Beriah, Mount Semanggol, Selinsing, Parit Buntar and Nibung thickness.

Consequently, farmers are found in the Office of the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) urged the fish breeding project is stopped. They claimed that as long as it operates all livestock farmers will bear the risk, especially the water was so scarce during plowing work.

The move is also appropriate because it affects the main goals of the Red Lake water supply for paddy cultivation and daily population in the county.

Representatives of farmers, Rasid Mohd Salim, said the project began in 2000 now has 3.808 pools with a total of 70 operators compared to 10 operators had not.

Farmers grew frustrated when all their complaints to the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) is ignored and the officers claimed to be last hands seem to support the Arowana fish farming is said to bring good income.

"People were disappointed with JPS that ignore the plight of farmers that their advocates should not allow employers to take all the time after all the water is suitable for agricultural land and rice crops," he said with an angry voice.

Mohd Rasid also disappointed with the attitude of some folks who said, very excited to lease land to small business owners to get the reward without realizing that they otherwise have diperkudakan.

Secretary of Development and Security Committee (JKKK) Kubu Gajah, Ahmad Nordin also asked Chief Minister of Perak on the field to review their own problems faced by farmers in the HQ, which is the largest rice area in Perak.

"Does the government want to see the area directly damaged the rice crop works businessman who somehow comes from livestock which to operate?

"Those who come from outside the big profit loss of sudden we are farmers. Is not it retarded due to lack of water and rice production by nearly 70 percent," he said.

For the field operators, Azman Nordin, some employers get a notice from the Kerian District Land Office for violating the conditions of the land but not vice versa diendahkah continue work as normal the aquaculture industry.

When the season started plowing up fields usually occur quarrel between farmers and businessmen or farmers with DID because water can not flow properly to the opposite field plots DID limit of three days with a reason to give them water to other areas as well.

Azman claimed, JPSsebenarnya hear instructions from the businessman who claimed the water supplied to them for 24 hours for 360 days while denying the importance of water available to farmers.

Meanwhile, CAP president SM Mohamed Idris during a news conference at his office yesterday explained that the project should be canceled because it was not referred to the Department of Environment (DOE) to determine whether the environmental impact study (EIA) needs to be done or not.

CAP, he believed, and fear of waste into the drainage pond farming in this area would cause environmental problems and serious water pollution in the future.

JPS also allegedly failed to curb water theft by employers kegiaan involved. Records show that from 15 August to 28 October and reservoirs in the Bukit Merah  Lake declined by 0.2 feet (2.4 inches) per day.

Bukit Merah Lake water is not only used by over 10,000 farmers involved an area of 24 thousand hectares of rice fields but also the daily use of 200 thousand local residents

Jabatan Perikanan Malaysia menganjurkan kursus percuma

di LAMAN PERIKANAN @ MAEPS (MALAYSIAN AGRO EXPOSITION PARK SERDANG) JUN 2010.

Orang ramai dijemput hadir. SETIAP HARI SABTU Masa : 9.00 pagi - 1.00 Petang

Tarikh Tajuk Kursus

5 Jun - Taksonomi dan Taburan
- Mengenali Jenis-jenis Kelisa

12 Jun - Pemilihan Kelisa Berkualiti
- Pemeliharaan Kelisa dalam Akuarium Sebagai Hobi

19 Jun - Pengurusan Induk Kelisa
- Pembenihan Secara Komersil

26 Jun - Potensi Pelaburan dan Pasaran
- Program Pemuliharaan Kelisa di Malaysia

Sneak Preview inside Indo Dragon 8 :

KUCHING, March 1,2010 (Bernama) -- The arowana breeding industry has been identified as a potential high value project to increase the income of the population, especially the poor in Sarawak.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Deputy Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim said breeding arowana could give lucrative returns to the operators.

"Some arowana species are found only in Borneo and it has a very high potential to be developed," she said at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching here today.

She said the swiftlet industry was another high value industry in Sarawak due to the high demand for bird nests in the world market.

"Swiftlet breeding and its downstream industry also provide job opportunities for housewives. This will raise the income of the population, particularly the poor," she said.

In the state, swiftlet farm operators needed to obtain the licence to breed the bird from the Sarawak Forestry Corporation, she said.

Rohani also urged entrepreneurs in the state to invest in large-scale cattle and goat farming as well as halal products.

"Sarawak has suitable areas for large-scale cattle and goat farming," she said.

She also told farmers in the state to get into pineapple cultivation.

The Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board would start operating in Sarawak this year to develop the pineapple downstream industry, she said.

"Pineapple cultivation will bring lucrative profits to the operators because of its high demand from overseas," she added.

Source -- BERNAMA

Stages of life

Superworms have 4 stages of life: egg, larva, pupae and beetle. The beetles are the only ones that reproduce. Breeding superworms is very similar to that of mealworms but with one difference. They will need to be separated individually so they can pupate. If you keep them together you will never obtain beetles to start another generation. Superworms grow slowly and it can take 5 months or longer (depending on the temperature you keep them at) to become large enough to start the “morphing” process. Pupation is an essential process and the only way to obtain beetles for breeding. I keep all stages of superworms at a temperature between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Metamorphosing superworms

Choose the largest superworms possible and place a single worm into an empty 35mm film container. I’ve found film containers work best as they require very little space. Due to the digital era they are becoming harder to find but I’ve always had good luck at the Wal-Mart and Costco photo centers. If you can’t get them you can always use plastic bead boxes for crafts, baby food jars etc.

Leave the superworm in the empty film container with no food or water. Adding food or water to the film container prolongs the time it takes them to pupate and makes a bigger workload for you. As long as they are very large larva you should have very few to no deaths.

After several days the worms will become dormant and begin curling to a letter “c” or “e”. This is the start of the morphing process. Any superworms that are straight looking, hard or black are probably dead. The process from larva to pupae takes 1 to 2 weeks.

Superworm pupa

Once the worm has pupated it will look like a white or cream colored “alien” as most people call them. This is their third stage of life. You can either leave them in the film container or place them all in a separate container. I remove mine and place them in a separate container as it saves space and then you can start another larva in the film container. When their legs turn darker in color you’ll know a beetle is about to emerge. The process from pupae to beetle takes about 2 weeks.

Superworm beatles

Before removing these beetles you need to put together a new breeding container. I use trays that are (14” x 10” x 3.5”). You can use really any type of container such as Rubbermaid and Sterilite but I’ve found cat litter pans to be most effective. Add about 1 inch of wheat bran or a pre-made gutload to the bottom of the container. The beetles will eat and lay their eggs in this. Try not to use coarse bedding such as oats unless you blend it to a powder. This will make it easier to separate the superworms later for cleaning or feeding your animals. In one corner I add a small piece of egg crate so the beetles have a place to gather. Otherwise they may wander through the container digging up eggs and eating them. You may now move the beetles to this container. Offer potatoes, carrots, fruits or water crystals as a water source. Moisture is extremely important for the beetles just as it is for the superworms themselves. A lack of moisture will result in beetles preying on eggs, newly hatched babies and other beetles.

About every 2 to 4 weeks (depending on how many beetles you have in one container) remove the beetles from the bedding and place them in a fresh container as described above. This allows the eggs to hatch and furthers your chances of obtaining more babies. If the beetles are left they will prey on the eggs and possibly the newly hatched larva. The newly hatched worms could do the same with each other. Adult beetles can live up to 5 months with a female laying nearly 500 eggs in her lifetime.

Raising baby superworms

The key to hatching is heat and most importantly moisture. For the babies I keep the temperature around 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Add small chunks or slices of potato, carrot, apples etc on the bedding surface. This will provide moisture for the newly hatched babies. Once the babies grow larger you can use water crystals if you wish.

That’s it, you’ve bred superworms!

Congratulations! You have now successfully completed your first breeding cycle. It will take time before your colony is established but once it is you’ll have a continuous supply of superworms!

 Source http://www.geckotime.com

Believed to bring good luck and wealth, the arowana or dragon fish is in great demand and a mature fish can fetch about RM15,000 each. An intrigued SHARON NG KOOI KIN visits an arowana farm to watch the harvesting of the fry

THE fastest growing commercial fish breeding industry in Peninsular Malaysia must surely be at Bukit Merah, Semanggol, Perak.

A few years ago, such farms did not attract much attention but today there are over 50 in this small region alone, with one opening every few months!

The 7,000-acre Bukit Merah Lake is the natural habitat of the Malaysian Golden Arowana, an ornamental fish highly prized by aquarists, resulting in many fish farms being established in its vicinity.

The unpolluted lake water is piped to the farms to encourage the breeding of these majestic fish in captivity. The farms themselves have become a tourist attraction of sorts and visitors often drop by before or after going to the nearby Orang Utan Sanctuary in Bukit Merah Laketown.

Arowana aquaculture is one of the newest and most lucrative ventures into which many local and foreign investors are putting their money.

Let’s enter the exciting world of fish aquaculture that makes use of the latest scientific techniques and electronic devices.

Such sophisticated set-ups are not unlike that required for protecting someone or something very precious and valuable, like a fortress of gold. Only, in this case, it is the Golden Head Arowana (Kim Leng or Golden Dragon in Hokkien dialect), an equally valuable commodity. A mature Golden Arowana can fetch about RM15,000!

Investors from as far as Germany and UK have bought ponds of arowana in his farm and profits are shared 50-50.

There are 63 ponds in Choong’s five-acre project and each pond is monitored by a CCTV camera that can be viewed by the investors from anywhere in the world! So you can literally keep an eye on what and where you’ve put your money on.

The fish will also be micro-chipped and closely cared for. Sick fish are placed in quarantine, referred to as the ICU. The most common diseases affecting the arowana are anchor worm parasite infection, fin rot and cloudy eyes. Pure oxygen, saline baths and injections of Diptrex or antibiotics are the usual treatments.

Once every two months, the fry are harvested and transferred to a thermostat-controlled aquaria where the water temperature is maintained at 27-29ºC.

Many of the fry still have yolk sacs attached to their bellies but these will slowly be absorbed, usually within eight weeks. Older, free-swimming fry are then fed tubifex worms until after three months when their diet switches bigger mealworms, fresh prawns or minced fish meat.

There is an endless stream of visitors to deal with as millions of ringgit have been poured into this new investment opportunity. A fish pond containing 15 to 30 adult arowana is valued at between RM40,000 and RM100,000. There is a huge demand for Golden Head and Red Arowana, so they command the highest prices.

Together with some visiting investors, we follow the harvesters to ponds designated for the morning’s harvesting. Entering the pond, two workers slowly drag a net across its bed. At the other end, the outer edge of the net is lifted up on two poles, trapping all the fish. A short aluminium ladder is then placed inside the net to allow the expert handler to step down and examine each fish for fry.

The arowana (both male and female), keeps the fry inside its large mouth cavity for about two months! The male is the one that usually undertakes this incubation task and develops a remarkable brood pouch on the underside of its mouth. The fry hatch from eggs within a week and it’s a wonder that they are not swallowed when the parent feeds.

Of the three ponds harvested that morning, only one fish out of maybe 60 examined, has fries in its mouth, a brood of 34. The handler gently draws back the lower jaw of the parent fish, shakes it briefly to release the fry into a scoop net. These are then transferred to a big plastic bag.

After six to eight months when they attain 20-25cm in length, the arowana fry will be sold for between RM20 and a few hundred ringgit each, depending on species. In its natural environment, the peak breeding period for the arowana is August-October.

Breeding Zones

While the proliferation of fish farms may be good for investors, the Perak State Government has expressed concern over the fast pace at which these fish farms have expanded in the last few years.

In a Bernama news report (Dec 30, 2009) Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir expressed fears that padi fields will be turned into arowana breeding ponds.

“It is profitable for breeders, but the effect on padi planting in Kerian is worrying. It is estimated that 400 padi fields are being used to breed arowana,” he was reported as saying.

The report also said that Zambry proposed the establishment of Arowana Breeding Zones in Kerian District, especially in the Bukit Merah area.

The arowana breeding industry is growing quickly because of high demand from local aquarium hobbyists as well as international markets like China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and UK.

The Chinese believe that rearing a pair or two of the Golden Arowana at home or in the office, will bring good luck, prosperity, good health, happiness and family harmony. The fish is also believed to have the power to cast out evil spirits.

How To Get There

Head for Semanggol in Perak to check out what this fishy excitement is all about. A guided tour of the arowana breeding farms will reveal an agriculture project and investment opportunity that’s excitingly innovative because it combines nature’s ability to reproduce itself and man’s ever expanding scientific know-how.

Exit the North-South Plus Highway at Bukit Merah toll plaza. Drive past Bukit Merah Lake Town junction and three kms from the toll plaza, turn left to Tebuk Pancur. Here, you’ll see lots of posters and banners advertising arowana breeding centres, some as near as just 200m down the road.

source SHARON NG KOOI KIN , NST Online

IPOH: Arowana farms in the Tasik Bukit Merah vicinity in northern Perak will be legalised and regrouped into a special zone, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said.

He said there was a need for proper control of arowana breeding activities around the lake, which farmers in Perak’s main padi growing areas of Kerian and Sungai Manik have blamed as the reason for their dwindling harvests.

“Padi farmers have complained to me about this and I have seen with my own eyes the damage that has been done in the last two years since these fish farms started operations.

“Breeders are using water from the lake for their ponds, causing insufficient water supply for the padi fields,” he told reporters after chairing the weekly state executive meeting here yesterday.

Dr Zambry, however, noted that only 182ha would be offered to the fish breeders with land premium calculated based on industrial and not agricultural usage.

“Arowana are highly-prized aquarium fish that can be sold for thousands of ringgit.

“At such, the breeders can afford to pay the land premium,” he said, adding that the state would not allow any more fish farms to be opened up after the rezoning exercise.

He acknowledged that arowana breeding was a lucrative industry “but we have to strike a balance as padi is our main food source.”

The Kerian Land and Mines Office and the Drainage and Irrigation Department, he said, had been asked to conduct a study on the water shortage problem and come up with a solution.

sourceThe star - Thursday February 18, 2010

(Perak - Kerian) Saturday (January 23) morning Bukit Merah an Arowana farm was break in ,the indoor cultivation site house more than 1500 fish fry fish fry was stolen, the loss of up to 1.7 million ringgit.The  fish farm is the Bukit Merah Aquarium Co., Ltd. (BUKIT MERAH AQUACULTURE (M) SDN BHD), between the time of the incident is believed to Saturday 1:00 to 5 pm between. Managing Director, Ahmad told reporters that an unknown number of thieves, destruction of fish inside the closed-circuit television, and fry to cultivate room blasting the back door sneak dry case, the indoor cultivation believers thief stole Arowana almost finished, with only 9 fry.He said that 1.54 million worth of cultivating indoor ringgit, up to 3" length , total 1588 dragon fish of various types, 20 have been implanted with a microchip ready to be exported to Japan at the end of the high-back Arowana, a value of 1 10000-15000 ringgit exhibiting 18-inch adult blue-off back Arowana also be stolen.

He said that after estimating that the stolen Arowana totaling 1.7 million ringgit.He said the stolen 20 destined for Japan's six-inch fish, the body can not be removed chips, so these fish have no chance of theft shipped abroad, if the thief Christians try to remove the chips, the fish just will die.He said the fish farm workers Saturday morning, 8:30 Xu, enter the room at work to cultivate fry surprised to discover that the fish had been stolen finished interior.After the directors of the Company to a new report Mans Wei police station.Ahmad's son revealed that at 2 o'clock, there to hear the voice of dog barking, but his family thought it was just fighting dogs and cats. Ahmad said that the stolen fish fry involving five fish ponds, the affected investors, more than five people.

It is learned that, according to investment contracts, as investors are faced burglary and fry, so the fish farm operators are required to compensate investors in full.Ahmad said the Bukit Merah Arowana Aquarium Co., Ltd. and North Horse breeding industry associations, will be 100 thousand ringgit reward for information leading to the capture of the thief people.

Ahmad also revealed that one of them living in Kuala Lumpur, and, in the fish market to invest 40 million ringgit in Malay businessmen home, but also a few days ago by burglary, a thief sneaked into the merchant's house and stole only kept in the house 9 Arowana, merchants and other property, thieves are not interested.

This news was translate using Google frm Sin Chew Jit Poh 2010.01.24 

original link http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/147166?tid=1