7. Issues and Challenges in Aquatic Invasive Alien Species - Seafdec

There were reports of the fish causing serious trouble
in the country. An experiment was carried out once
in seven of the lakes in Kelana Jaya, Selangor, in
2003. Bread was scattered into the water, and to
the observers’ horror, most of the fish which arose
were Flowerhorn, some of them hideously mutated.
Fishes like fighting fish, three-spotted gouramy and
snakehead were also badly affected by the release
of flowerhorn to the wild.
To overcome this situation, equally aggressive local
fishes, such as the Giant Snakehead, the Malaysian
jungle perch and the Featherback were released into
the lakes. This solution seemed to have worked since
the Flowerhorn has been reduced and the species
affected have begun to recover.
5. Peacock bass (Cichlidae: Cichla ocellaris)
The Peacock Bass, or Peacock Cichlid, is a native
of South America. It has been introduced deliberately
by anglers as a popular game fish into several small
ponds and in mining pools at Batu Gajah and Air
Kuning in Perak. From Malaysian Fishing Forum it
has been reported to be seen in Lake Chenderoh.
The threat is that this lake is interconnected to Air
Ganda, Bersia and Temengor. This bass is very
aggressive, a fast breeder and preys on smaller
native fish. It has been identified as a potential cause
for ecological imbalance in its adapted habitats. They
will only eat live foods.
This is a classic case of ecological havoc brought
by man when alien species is introduced into a new
habitat.
4. Koi (Cyprinidae: Cyprinus carpio)
The exact date of Koi or fancy carp (10 varieties) or
locally known as ‘kap Jepun’ being introduced to
Malaysia is not known. Though it has increased the
fishery’s revenue, it has indirectly brought diseases
such as Koi Herpes Virus (KHV) to the aquarium
industry. KHV is a viral disease contagious to fish
and may cause a significant morbidity and mortality
in Koi. It was positively identified in Israel in 1998.
Since then, other cases have been confirmed in the
United States, Europe, Indonesia, Japan and Korea
(Kathleen et al 2004, Claudia 2005). KHV disease
may cause about 80-100% mortality in affected
populations. Since March 2002, KHV has spread to
the Asian region with the first infection occurring in
Indonesia followed by Japan in October 2003. The
DoFM has also detected positive cases for KHV from
Ulu Kinta areas in Perak in 2006 by using PCR
methods. Its new formal designation is Cyprinid
herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) by Waltzek et al. in 2005.
Peacock bass (Cichlidae: Cichla ocellaris)
6. Aquatic plants
They are mainly freshwater types and include water
hyacinths or Eichornia crassipes or ‘keladi bunting’
in Malay, can be found floating in rivers and there
are plants which are cultivated for decorating aquaria.
Some of the aquatic plants (Appendix 4) which
command variable commercial values have been
reported by Baki et al and Azmi et al (1992). Water
hyacinths in hydro-electric dams at Tasik Ringlet,
Cameron Highlands, proliferate when not cleared in
time could choke up the turbines. Water hyacinths
in water supply canals in rice fields also could affect
water flow.
Japanese Koi
Eichornia crassipes (Keladi Bunting)
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