Kelantan to use lake for commercial fish-breeding

PASIR MAS, 21 Aug 2019:

The Kelantan government plans to turn Tok Uban Lake into the biggest fish breeding zone in the state, to help increase the country’s freshwater fish output.

State Agriculture, Agro-based Industry, Biotechnology and Technology Committee chairman Tuan Mohd Saripudin Tuan Ismail said Danau Tok Uban had a good potential to be developed as it is a large area with sufficient water source.

“It has the potential to be developed, especially for breeding of freshwater fish like in other states, hence could improve the economy of the local community.

“We have prepared a proposal paper to study and evaluate the inputs required, and it will depend on the state government’s ability to develop a freshwater fish industry at the lake,” he said after the handing-over of fish cages to participants of the Tok Uban Lake Zone Aquaculture Industry, here, today. Also present was State Fisheries Department director Nazri Ishak.

Tuan Mohd Saripudin said the 35 participants currently had 140 cages for the caged-fish breeding venture.

“The number of participants is expected to increase from time to time but for now, we have allocated RM150,000 to assist the participants.”

Meanwhile, Nazri said the area had a huge potential for developing the freshwater fish industry if the state and federal governments could work together on this.

“We are ready to assist as the department has an allocation and has undertaken studies on the water quality, size of water body for the industry and so on.”

– Bernama