INLAND fisherman, Nordin Embong, 57, recently experienced a stroke of luck when he caught an 18kg “kelah merah” (red mahseer) in Sungai Berang near Kampung Pengkalan Ajal in Terengganu, made possible by the floods in the area.

The fish is known to be hard to find, and Nordin’s nephew, Mohd Hafifi Abu Bakar, was the one who set the net that caught the fish at around 5pm yesterday.

“My nephew cast the net around 3pm yesterday, and two hours later, as he tried to retrieve it and was caught off guard by the unexpected weight.

“To his surprise, the net brought in a red mahseer that was almost half the size of a human adult,” he said when met at his home in Kampung Pengkalan Ajal today.

Nordin said that the fish is priced between RM150 and RM200 per kg or can even go up to RM3,600 per fish.

“If this fish is still alive, the price will be doubled. Yesterday, I received a call from someone keen on buying it alive for breeding purposes, but Nordin cancelled when the fish died a few hours after arriving home.

“During the flood season, many residents resort to inland fishing to earn extra income and the giant red mahseer was the first to be caught here,” he said, adding that the fish caught by villagers are usually purchased by restaurant operators around Kuala Berang. – Bernama, December 25, 2023