FINDING A CROCODILE WHILE CATCHING INVASIVE FISH SPECIES AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE

KUALA KANGSAR, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- Bumping into a crocodile while catching invasive fish species in the Klang River is certainly an unforgettable experience for armed forces veteran Haziman Amli Hasan.

Haziman Amli, one of the many Malaysians who have dedicated themselves to the eradication of invasive fish species that plague the rivers of Malaysia, admitted that such an encounter served as a reminder that clearing rivers of invasive fish was not only a hard task but one that could be fraught with unknown danger.

“At that time, I was with five other friends netting the fishes when I saw the outline of a crocodile that emerged about three metres from where we were.

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“It was really a shock and luckily the crocodile did not attack. I told my friends to move away and look for another location,” he said when met by Bernama at the close of the Perak Fish Fiesta 2025 at Dataran Victoria here recently.

Haziman Amli was crowned overall champion for the Perak Invasive Fish Hunt Grand Prix at the event and took home RM5,000 with his haul of 11,901 kilogrammes (kg) of invasive fish.

Haziman Amli, who is Malaysia Invasive Fish Hunter Squad (SPIA) secretary, shared that anglers like him faced other difficulties besides crocodiles, including water surges, fast currents and nets tangled at rocks, especially when they were exploring previously unknown rivers.

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“If it is a river around Selangor or Kuala Lumpur, we are familiar with its currents but in Sungai Kinta (Ipoh) for instance, we have been hit by a water surge while out on a hunt. We were lucky, we got back to land to save ourselves,” he said.

He expressed pride in his work against the invasive fish, noting that he has helped catch over 57 metric tons of such fish from various rivers in the country since 2022, with almost 80 per cent of them being of the Hypostomus plecostomus species.

“For me, using a net is more effective as such species move in groups and can be caught by the dozen with each net toss,” he shared.

He also said that initially, efforts by SPIA were not taken seriously by certain parties as they viewed it a waste of energy and time, but after uploading several videos and documentation on social media, the public have come to realise that the negative impact invasive species have on rivers, and the damage to local fish species.

“Now when we go on a hunt, many show up and ask and there are also those who send reports of invasive fish in smaller rivers. That’s a positive development,” he said.

Meanwhile, Perak Fisheries director Mohd Ghazali Abdul Manap said almost 10 metric tons of invasive fish were caught throughout the three days of the event.

“Not only locals participated, but also those from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, in the three contests we held this year in Ipoh, Kampung Gajah and Kuala Kangsar.

“Even though there still are invasive species in open waters, this is a good effort in ensuring our zero invasive fish target in five years can be achieved,” he added.

-- BERNAMA