A GROUP is out to save betta fish, commonly known as fighting fish, in the wild which are in danger of having their natural habitat in Selangor’s peat swamp forests destroyed for agriculture.

Wild Betta Lovers Malaysia (WBLM) is breeding the fish in tanks before releasing the adults in a safer place, its president Zulkifli Mohd Salleh said.

“We can’t stop development, which can sometimes be good, but if no one cares about the betta, they will die out,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Known as “ikan laga” in Bahasa Malaysia, it is found in the shallow water of marshes, ponds, or slow-moving streams of Selangor’s many peat swamp forests.

In northern Selangor, a species of fighting fish, known as betta livida Tanjung Malim, is endemic, meaning it is not found anywhere else in the world.

“Most wild fighting fish species are endangered, many species are already gone from the areas that we have explored,” said Zulkifli who is a businessman.

Peat swamp forests in Malaysia are dwindling, with data from the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry showing that as of 2018, only 317,000 hectares remain of the 1.03 million hectares recorded in 1990.

This type of forest is be found only in three other states – Johor, Pahang, and Terengganu.

Selangor State Agriculture Corporation (PKPS) has plans to clear a peat swamp forest in the northern part of the state near Sabak Bernam, which it says is state-owned land and is needed for a food security initiative.

Zulkifli said WBLM rushed to the Sungai Panjang peat swamp forest as soon as they knew of the state’s plans to save the Betta Livida Tanjung Malim. 

Another species, Betta hipposideros, which can only be found in North Selangor and Sumatra, is also under threat, and is in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.

There are about 29 species of wild fighting fish in Malaysia and 13 of them are endemic.

The north Selangor peat swamp forest is home to the betta livida Tanjung Malim, betta hipposideros, betta bellica, betta Parosphromenus harveyi, Channa barca and Chocolate gourami.

Breed and release

Zulkifli said wild fighting fish take about nine months to a year to fully grow before they can be released back to their original habitat.

“So far, the association has released more than 1,000 fish, which includes about 300 Betta Persephone, 400 Betta Livida Tanjung Malim and 400 Betta Livida Sepang.

“The release was done in collaboration with the Malaysian Fisheries Department at a secret location,” Zulkifli said.

WBLM also conducts regular monitoring every three months after the release of the wild fighting fish to their original habitat.

The association has about 18,000 members, and has collaborated with the Putrajaya Corporation besides being a strategic partner for the Malaysian Fisheries Department.

The collaborations include developing conservation areas for wild fighting fish in Putrajaya and Malacca.

Zulkifli also said that the commercial value of Malaysian wild fighting fish had increased after the association organized a competition in 2019.

He said WBLM also provides guidelines and documentation on the types and standards of wild fighting fish, as well as courses and examinations for competition judges.

The association has published the Malaysia Wild Betta Standards, which was launched in September 2019 by the director-general of the Fisheries Department.

He said local wild fighting fish are many times more valuable than modern fighting fish imported from Thailand.

“The international market value for the Betta Imbellis, Beta livida and others, can reach up to US$100, or RM450, each in Europe,” said Zulkifli.

“The more endangered a species is, the higher its value … but we hope that only those bred at homes are sold. Those caught in the wild are not sold,” he said.

WBLM member Muhammad Fairuz Abdul Jalal, said it is an offence to release wild fighting fish to areas which are not their original habitat, even if the ecosystem is almost identical.

“Malaysia’s wild fighting fish have a certain endemic criteria, we have to release them to their original habitat, even if the ecosystem is the same.

“That will damage the local (wild fighting fish) ecosystem,” said the lecturer at the Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten).

Prior to the establishment of WBLM, Muhammad Fairuz said captive breeding efforts were carried out by enthusiasts.

“When WBLM was established, it became a platform for us to gather,” he said.

There are still several other species of local wild fighting fish that have not been identified, he adds.

Data from the Malaysian Fisheries Department shows that the value of Malaysia’s wild fighting fish export is around RM370 million a year.

Malaysia is ranked fourth as an exporter of wild fighting fish while Singapore is ranked first in Asia. – September 26, 2021.