GEORGE TOWN: The Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) has successfully carried out research that allows it to consistently breed the clownfish at the Penang Tunku Abdul Rahman Aquarium in Batu Maung, near here, in an effort to create a new source of income for saltwater ornamental fish breeders.
FRI assistant research officer Dzulfikkar Baitulma’mur, 37, said it took them three years to try out various research techniques before they managed to consistently breed several species of the clownfish or better known as Nemo.
“Our research started in 2018 after we noticed that the fish that were placed as exhibition at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Aquarium began to show changes for breeding.
“We tried various techniques through trial and error to breed the fish because our team had never researched on this before,” he said when met at the Batu Maung FRI today.
After five tries, the team finally found the right technique and began breeding the clownfish, which is capable of producing between 200 and 300 eggs twice a month.
Dzulfikkar said that following the success of breeding the various clownfish species, among them the Amphiprion oscellaris, Amphiprion perideraion and Amphiprion biaculeatus, they hope to create a new source of income for saltwater ornamental fish entrepreneurs as a fish could be sold for RM20 or hundreds of ringgit depending on its size and species.
He said the institute was willing to offer training to ornamental fish breeders on the breeding technique. — Bernama
