An ornamental fish shop owner in Penang, Malaysia, who was found rearing two arapaimas without a permit, was told to obtain the necessary permits from the Fisheries Department or hand it over to them (department).
The two-metre arapaimas weighing more than 100kg each are believed to have been kept by the owner for the past 10 years.
Arapaima is a carnivorous fish and one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. It is found in the Amazon River of South America.
The fishes were found during an educational and awareness campaign conducted on prohibited fish species by the state Fisheries Department on ornamental fish shops in Penang on Wednesday.
Its state director Noraisyah Abu Bakar said to keep prohibited species, the owners must apply a permit from the department.
The permit, which is free, has to be renewed yearly or else it is illegal to keep such species for sale or even display.
The department also found a metre-long alligator gar, piranha and 50 banned flowerhorn or Lo Han fishes in another pet shop here too.
She added that during the campaign, the department will distribute flyers, which will have to be displayed, to these shop owners to inform them and the public about the banned species.
The flyers will also have the general implications caused by these species.”
These shop owners will be given until July to obtain the necessary permits for the fishes, and after that we will start our enforcement, she said.
Noraisyah said anyone found keeping or selling these species without a permit, would be compounded.
She said the fishes would be confiscated and they would be compounded under the Fisheries Act 1985 Fisheries Regulations (Prohibition of import for fish) (Amended) 2011.
We will check on the registered 33 ornamental fish shops in the state during the campaign which started this week, she said.
The campaign was jointly organised by the department together with the Fisheries Research Institute and Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services.
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