Aceh’s Marine and Fisheries Office (DKP) has confirmed that a giant fish found by residents during floods in Lhokseumawe city belongs to the arapaima gigas species whose natural habitat is the Amazon River in Brazil.
“That is right, the fish is a type of arapaima, originally from the Amazon River in Brazil,” Aceh DKP head Aliman said here on Thursday.
Earlier, the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) of Aceh had examined the giant fish that was discovered in an inundated area of Lhokseumawe city and suspected of being an arapaima.
The discovery of the giant fish had shocked Lhokseumawe city residents and the news had gone viral on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, Aliman said.
Based on information received, the fish was kept in an ornamental fish shop in Lhokseumawe, but was thrown into a gutter after it died, he added.
According to Aliman, circulation or trade of arapaima fish is prohibited in Indonesia, in accordance with the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Regulation (KKP) No. 19 of 2020 concerning the ban of the entry, cultivation, circulation, and release of fish species that endanger and/or harm the country’s fisheries management area.
He then urged the public not to keep such fish species as pets because they are wild and predatory and can threaten other fish populations if released into the waters.
“We also ask that the PSDKP (Supervising Office of Marine Resources and Fisheries) closely monitor the circulation of these types of fish,” Aliman said.
Source: Antara News