TUMPAT: A total of 90 cage fish farmers in Laguna Sri Tujoh, here suffered a total loss of more than RM1 million when all their fish stock died due to the overflow of contaminated water in the recent first wave of floods.
Laguna Sri Tujoh Fish Farmers’ Association chairman Mohd Saifullah Che Mat said the incident was noticed by the farmers three days ago when the fish in their cages died gradually.
“Initially, only the grouper fish died and we did not expect the sea bass to die as well because they are usually more hardy and can survive even when mixed with flood water.
“However, starting Friday evening, the sea bass fish raised in 2,000 cages in this area also experienced the same thing and yesterday the fish in the entire farm died,“ he said when met by Bernama, here today.
According to him, most of the dead sea bass weighing about two to three kilogrammes each can be harvested while the smaller fish could be raised for the fasting month sale.
Mohd Saifullah said that the total wipe of the fish had never happened so far even though the fish farming cages had been flooded before.
“However, this year we found that the flood was quite unusual and the water was full of waste causing the fish to die.” he said.
A farmer Mohd Nazari Abdullah, 50, said he did not expect his first attempt at cage fish farming would fail to yield a return to him when all the sea bass in his 16 cages also died yesterday morning.
He said all the fish were raised early this year at a total cost of more than RM30,000 including the purchase of fries and fish food.
“I plan to sell the farmed products starting next month and throughout the fasting month but it seems that luck is not on my side,“ he said.
Another farmer, Mazlan Mamat, 54, said he had never suffered a total loss like this year since he started doing the business 10 years ago.
He said all the fish in his 40 cages died last Friday and he needed to provide capital of more than RM40,000 to restart the farming project next year.
In the first wave of floods, the Tumpat district was the worst affected area with eight houses in Kampung Jubakar Pantai located near Laguna Sri Tujoh collapsing, while the main road in the area also sank, making it impassable.
