Selangor government is urging the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry to implement stricter measures to control the sale and release of invasive ornamental fish, particularly the Hypostomus plecostomus (pleco) species, also known as ikan banda­raya, which threaten river ecosystems.

Selangor infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Datuk Izham Hashim said the state was working towards preventing the release of alien fish species into rivers.

He said during a previous programme to catch ikan bandaraya, Sungai Kuyoh was found to be infested with pleco fish.

“We managed to catch one tonne in four hours at Sungai Langat and two tonnes at Sungai Damansara (near Subang Airport) but at Sungai Kuyoh, we pulled out three tonnes in two hours.

“We urge aquarium owners not to release the fish into rivers.

“If they need to dispose of them, do so responsibly and do not release them into waterways.

“We cannot allow this issue to persist as it will continue to harm our water quality and disrupt river ecosystems.”

It was previously reported that invasive fish species can cause significant ecological damage by altering riverbeds and pond banks and disrupting natural habitats. Their burrowing behaviour also causes soil erosion along riverbanks.

Izham said that by late next year, the new water treatment plant (WTP) in Sungai Rasau was expected to begin operations.

The WTP would source water from Sungai Klang near Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam, he said.

“Our treated water will come from there, so continuous efforts to clean and preserve the river are key agendas.

“The state will continue working with Universiti Selangor (Unisel) to conduct further studies on these invasive species,” he said during Ampang Jaya Municipal Council’s (MPAJ) gotong-royong and invasive fish-catching programme at Sungai Klang, near Masjid Al-Ridhuan, Hulu Kelang.

The programme saw the participation of 400 people, including 40 anglers from Squad Pem­buru Ikan Asing (SPIA), as well as 26 non-governmental organisations and three schools, namely SM Seri Kera­mat, SM Lembah Keramat and SK Hulu Kelang.

The gotong-royong along a 300m stretch near Masjid Al-­Ridhuan covered the mosque grounds and riverbanks and involved cleaning efforts as well as removal of invasive fish species from the river.

The event, which began at 8am, came to an abrupt halt at around 10.45am when a murky, chemical-­smelling substance surfaced and discoloured the river, shortly after Izham had left the site. It subsided by noon.

StarMetro reached out to Lembaga Urus Air Selangor but it had not responded at press time.

Also present at the event were MPAJ deputy president Hasrol­nizam Shaari and Selangor Fisheries Department director Noraisyah Abu Bakar.