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Puchong, Malaysia – On a latest Sunday morning, a few dozen males with fishing nets skirted the rubbish-strewn banks of the Klang River simply exterior the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

Surveying the river, the lads forged their nets into the polluted water. The nets billowed open and sunk rapidly underneath the burden of metallic chains.

From the place they stood on the riverbank, they began to drag of their nets, already stuffed with dozens of squirming black-bodied catfish.

“You don’t see every other fish. Solely these,” stated Mohamad Haziq A Rahman, the chief of Malaysia’s “international fish hunter squad”, as they emptied their catch of wriggling suckermouth catfish into piles, away from the river.

Not one of the fish caught that morning have been offered at close by markets or meals stalls. The only goal of the expedition was to cull suckermouth catfish, one amongst a rising variety of invasive species which have in latest a long time dominated freshwater habitats throughout Southeast Asia.

As soon as introduced in for industrial or hobbyist causes, invasive fish aren’t solely threatening to edge native species out of the meals chain in Malaysia and elsewhere, however additionally they unfold ailments and trigger nice harm to native environments.

Invasive fish are an issue the world over, however consultants say the problem is keenly felt in mega-biodiverse Malaysia.

“Greater than 80 p.c of rivers within the Klang Valley have been invaded by international fish species, which may trigger the extinction of the rivers’ indigenous aquatic life,” stated Dr Kalithasan Kailasam, a river professional with the Malaysia-based World Setting Centre.

“It’s rising in nearly all different major rivers in Malaysia,” stated Kailasam, explaining how species such because the suckermouth have the potential to rapidly reproduce and survive in soiled water, leaving native fish on the dropping aspect.

Except for the suckermouth, Malaysia’s waterways are actually threatened by species such because the aggressive peacock bass, Javanese carp and redtail catfish, he stated.

Whereas the complete extent of the issue just isn’t but recognized, Malaysia’s fisheries division, after a four-year examine till 2024, discovered invasive species in 39 areas throughout practically each state in peninsular Malaysia and on the island of Labuan, together with in dams, lakes and main rivers.

Alarmed by the menace, a small group of residents banded collectively to combat the aquatic invaders.

Led by Haziq, they’re working to reclaim Malaysia’s rivers one fin at a time.

Invasive fish invasion

The citizen fish hunters’ quest to combat invasive species began in the course of the nation’s COVID-19 lockdowns, when Haziq, a former healthcare advisor, turned to fishing as a pastime in a river close to his home in central Selangor state. He discovered each fish he caught was of the suckermouth selection, often known as the “pleco” or “ikan bandaraya” – which interprets because the “janitor fish” in Malay and is favoured by hobbyists to maintain aquariums clear, because the suckermouth feeds on algae, leftover meals and useless fish.

Native to South America, forms of the suckermouth have additionally been launched into waterways in the US, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, usually when homeowners dump them into rivers, canals, dams or free them after they develop too giant for his or her aquarium tanks.

Due to their thick, scaly pores and skin, suckermouths are often prevented by even bigger predators in Malaysia, and might develop to about half a metre (1.6ft) in size.

As backside feeders, the catfish have been recognized to eat the eggs of different species and destroy their nesting websites. Catfish additionally burrow into riverbanks to nest, inflicting them to erode and collapse, which is a severe environmental problem in flood-prone Malaysia the place year-end monsoon winds convey heavy rain.

Malaysia’s central financial institution stated in 2024 that floods are the reason for 85 p.c of the nation’s pure disasters, with their frequency growing since 2020.­

Although removed from his favorite fish to catch, Haziq found that suckerfish roe might be used as bait for different greater fish, and he earned some cash promoting their eggs to different fishing fans. He additionally gained a following by placing his exploits on social media. Additional analysis then led him to study concerning the threats posed by invasive species.

Harziq began to draw like-minded anglers, and, in 2022, they determined to kind a bunch for searching suckermouth, assembly practically each week in a river to hold out a cull.

Their public profile and recognition are rising. The group’s membership has now grown to greater than 1,000, and it has a powerful fan following on social media.

“Individuals stored asking the right way to be a part of our group, as a result of we have been wanting on the ecosystem,” Haziq stated.

Focusing first on Malaysia’s Selangor state and rivers within the capital Kuala Lumpur, the fish hunter squad netted practically 31 tonnes of suckermouths alone in 2024. They’ve additionally visited rivers in different states in Malaysia as their marketing campaign expands.

Dispose, use for analysis, or prepare dinner and eat?

Throughout a hunt within the Klang River earlier this 12 months, Haziq and his comrades deployed to the river’s banks on a mission to see what number of suckermouth they might catch throughout a single outing.

However trying to find invasive fish could be tough. With out boats, the hunters must wade into the fast-moving polluted waters from muddy banks, whereas navigating underwater particles reminiscent of garbage on the riverbed.

Virtually all of the fish they caught have been of the invasive variety, however occasionally, they do web an area.

“Haruan (snakehead)!” shouted ex-navy diver Syuhaily Hasibullah, 46, as he confirmed off a small fish half the scale of his arm, taken from a web containing a number of suckermouths.

“This one is uncommon! There was plenty of them within the river,” he advised Al Jazeera.

Haziq stated if the hunters discovered many invasive species of their nets, they might organise one other outing to the identical location, bringing alongside extra folks to participate.

The day they got down to calculate what number of invasive fish they might catch in a single outing turned out to yield half a tonne of suckermouth in simply three hours – so many they needed to stuff them into sacks.

Beforehand, the hunters buried their hauls in deep holes away from the river. Now, they’ve discovered extra inventive methods to dispose of what’s, usually, an undesirable fish.

On the occasion earlier this 12 months, sacks of suckermouths have been handed over to an area entrepreneur trying to experiment with turning the fish right into a type of charcoal generally known as biochar.

Some native universities have additionally began researching the attainable use of the suckermouth. One college analysis article explored the potential of suckermouth collagen for pharmaceutical use, whereas one other thought-about its use as fertiliser and even as a sort of leather-based.

On some events, the hunters even eat the fish they catch, although that is determined by which river they’ve been taken from.

Whereas redtail or African catfish are thought-about delicacies by some, the suckermouth, additionally recognized in India as “satan fish”, is a much less enticing snacking possibility – however not out of the query in relation to a fast riverside grill.

“If the fish is from the Klang River, we don’t eat it,” Mohd Zulkifli Mokhtar advised Al Jazeera, earlier than dozens of hunters broke their quick in the course of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

“But when it’s from the Langat River, it’s nonetheless OK,” Zulkifli stated, as dozens of suckermouth caught within the much less polluted Langat River, positioned in Bangi some 25km (16 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur, have been gutted, marinated in satay and grilled on skewers.

Research from Bangladesh and Indonesia have discovered forms of catfish with excessive ranges of heavy metals and contaminants. A 2024 article by Malaysia’s Universiti Teknologi Mara cited a examine that confirmed the extent of contaminants within the suckermouth was “closely influenced by the extent of air pollution within the river”.

‘If we don’t act now, it could be worse’

Whereas Malaysia’s fisheries division stated there have been no information of native species changing into endangered due to invasive ones, native fish nonetheless face threats.

Native fish both confronted changing into prey or have needed to combat to outlive, with the division discovering in a survey that 90 p.c of the fish in six rivers within the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur area have been now international arrivals.

The division’s Director-Basic Adnan Hussain stated varied measures had been put in place, together with the discharge of some 33.6 million native fish and prawns into rivers nationwide from 2021 to 2025 to “stability the impression” of invasive fish.

Late final 12 months, the state authorities of Selangor additionally got here up with a scheme to pay anglers one Malaysian ringgit ($0.23) for each kilogramme (2.2lb) of the suckermouth fish faraway from two rivers. The captured fish have been to be become animal feed and natural fertiliser, an official stated.

Restrictions on the import of sure international aquatic species – together with total species and teams – into Malaysia have been additionally imposed final 12 months, and he added that programmes and collaboration with the fish hunters had additionally helped to cope with the issue.

In a single river in Selangor state, Adnan stated the quantity of invasive fish caught following one eradication programme had dropped from 600kg (1,300lb) in a Might 2024 occasion to only greater than 150kg (330lb) 4 or 5 months later.

Nevertheless, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu fish researcher Professor Amirrudin Ahmad stated it was “nearly inconceivable” to totally exterminate the nation’s invasive fish.

“So many species reside in (native water our bodies) and eliminating invasive species by the technique of poisoning the water just isn’t possible in any respect,” he stated, including there have been near 80 recorded fish species launched in Malaysia up to now.

He additional warned that rising temperatures attributable to local weather change might even enable species just like the predatory Mekong redtail catfish to proliferate in cooler upstream waters in Malaysia.

“They’re right here to remain,” Amirrudin stated.

“It’s merely,” he stated, “that the atmosphere is usually much like their native nation, or these species are extremely adaptable.”

That that is an ecological conflict that may by no means actually be received is some extent that Haziq and his fellow fish hunters are totally conscious of. Almost each river they visited in latest occasions had nearly nothing however invasive fish, he stated.

However their mission will keep on, he added, together with the searching and public consciousness that has spurred 1000’s to comply with his social media movies on the topic.

“Sure, this fish received’t be fully gone from our rivers,” he advised Al Jazeera.

“But when we don’t act now, it could be worse,” he stated.

“It’s higher to take motion than to only depart it alone,” he added.

“At the least we will cut back the inhabitants, than enable it to fully take over our native fish.”