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Asian Arowana Status inSarawak, Borneo

Khairulazman Sulaiman1,3
Mohd. Shahbudin Hj. Sabki2
Mohamad Asyraf Mohamad Sulaiman1
AP Dr. Ruhana Hassan1
Dr. Fazimah Aziz1

1Department of Aquatic Science, Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak.
2Forest Department of Sarawak, Bangunan, Wisma Sumber Alam, Jalan Stadium Sarawak, 93050 Kuching, Sarawak.
37th Floor, Bangunan Binamas, Jalan Padungan, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak

What Tor is this?

©WWF-Malaysia/ Mazidi Ghani

Where is the current distribution of S. formosus
in Sarawak?

Goldee: 2012 ~ 2017

Introduction• Scleropages formosus –Asian Arowana, Kelisa, Siluk• Long time ago… early
Cretaceous, Asian arowana
diverged from theAustralasian arowanas(Kumazawa & Nishida,2000)

Nine members of Osteoglossidae family•A - Arapaima gigas•B – Arapaima leptosoma•C - Heterotis niloticus•D - Osteoglossum bicirrhosum•E - Osteoglossum ferreirai•F - Scleropages formosus•G - Scleropages inscriptusC•H - Scleropages jardinii•I - Scleropages leichardti

F1F2GEDBAHIThree Colour Variety of Asian Arowana
Variety/ TypePrice per individual Price per individual(15 - 20 cm) (RM) (>40 cm) (RM)

Gold arowana
Malaysian GoldGold Blue Base
Highback Golden

1,500 – 3,000
1,500 – 3,000
500 – 1,000

12,000 – 14,000
12,000 – 14,000
6,000 – 8,000

1,200 – 2,200
1,000 – 2,000
150 – 200

12,000 – 14,000
10,000 – 12,000
2,000 – 2,500

50 – 100

1,500 – 1,800

Red arowana
Chili Red
Super Red
Banjar Red

Green arowana

Amazon Silver arowana 40 – 60

500 – 1000
Source: Department of Fisheries Malaysia (2012)86/87

63/64

100/100
52/53

84/83
69/68
93/94

95/95

69/68

100/100
91/91
100/100
72/72 82/81

S. formosus |JN984803| Red
S. formosus |JN984802| Red
S. formosus |PGM23| Golden
S. formosus |JN984783| Golden
S. formosus |JN984794| Golden
S. formosus |JN984786| Red
S. formosus |JN984778| Red
S. formosus |JN984775| Red
S. formosus |PGM02| Golden
S. formosus |JN984779| Red
S. formosus |PGM26| Golden
S. formosus |JN984787| Red
S. formosus |PGM10| Golden
S. formosus |JN984776| Red
S. formosus |PGM09| Golden
S. formosus |PGM04| Golden
S. formosus |JN984789| Red
S. formosus |PGM17| Golden
S. formosus |JN984801| Golden
S. formosus |PGM07| Golden
S. formosus |JN984785| Red
S. formosus |PGM19| Golden
S. formosus |PGM15| Golden
S. formosus |PGM01| Golden
S. formosus |JN984782| Golden
S. formosus |JN984784| Red
S. formosus |JN984788| Red
S. formosus |JN984780| Red
S. formosus |PGM20| Golden
S. formosus |PGM14| Golden
S. formosus |PGM03| GoldenS. formosus |PGM25| Golden
S. formosus |SRT01| Red
S. formosus |SRM02| Red
S. formosus |SRM01| Red
S. formosus |JN984800| Red
S. formosus |JN984793| Red
S. formosus |JN984781| Red
S. formosus |JN984791| Red
S. formosus |SRM03| Red
S. formosus |SRM04| Red
S. formosus |SRT02| Red
S. formosus |JN984799| Red
S. formosus |JN984792| Golden
S. formosus |JN984798| Golden
S. formosus |JN984796| Golden
S. formosus |JN984777| Golden
S. formosus |JN984795| Golden
S. formosus |JN984805| Golden
S. formosus |SGM04| Golden
S. formosus |SGT04| Golden
S. formosus |SGT05| Golden
S. formosus |SGM05| Golden
S. formosus |SGM03| Golden
S. formosus |SGT01| Golden
S. formosus |SGT03| Golden
S. formosus |SGM01| Golden
S. formosus |SGT02| Golden
S. formosus |SGM02| Golden
S. formosus |PGM16| Golden
S. formosus |KGT01| Golden
S. formosus |PGM08| Golden
S. formosus |PGM24| Golden
S. formosus |PGM12| Golden
S. formosus |PGM18| Golden
S. formosus |PGM06| Golden
S. formosus |PGM11| Golden
S. formosus |PGM13| Golden
S. formosus |PGM05| Golden
S. formosus |JN984797| Green
S. formosus |JN984790| Green
S. formosus |JN984806| Green
S. formosus |JN984807| Green
S. formosus |JN984808| GreenS. jardinii |NC 022836|
S. jardinii |KF481952|
S. leichardti |AY504832|
S. leichardti |FJ890319|
O. bicirrhosum SOB03
AST03
A. gigas |EF523611|
Heterotis niloticus |AY504837|
Osphronemus goramy |AY763722|• 16S NJ and ME
phylogenetic treeRed/Golden• Green arowana
separated in otherclade• Need protection
for theconservation ofBiodiversity

GreenOutgroup

Background1

Population status of S. formosus in Sarawak relatively unknown

2

Green type in Sarawak

3

The wild population might be too small

4Extinct in the wild?
- Habitat loss
- Hunting pressure, accidental caught- Discrimination of aquaculture preference• IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species – ‘Endangered’• CITES – Appendix I• The one and only bony fish
Protected in Sarawak

Distribution in Sarawak
1Sungai Raso, Lundu area; Arowana Fish Survey in the Lundu-Sematan - FDS
unpublished report,1992

2Samunsam River; FRST, UNIMAS Samunsam Expedition – unofficial report,
1997

3

Sungai Kenyana, Mukah area – Hasanaliza, 2013

4

Sungai Kubud, Bintulu area - FDS unpublished report
Tasik Kinyu, Bintulu area - Blog

Potential
distribution

Wulffraat et al. (2016)

Samunsam WSn-= 62

Kenyana

Ulu Kapuas

Ulu Kapuas

Future Projection?

Current logging
practices

Land and water resources development works

Agricultural activities

deforestation
Use of rivers as meansof transport

Habitat loss anddegradation

Fish stocks in natural
water bodies

Advent of cash economy –supply and demand
Drop in CPUE
Drop in number of bigsized individuals

Loss of species diversity
and genetic material
Some major causes and impactsof decline of the indigenous
Freshwater Fishes of Sarawak(FDS, unpublished)

Lack of regulation andawareness
People’s attitude

Decline andresults

Drop in quality
Drop in relative abundance

Dam construction e.g. for HEP
generation, irrigation
Free and easy access toresources

Overfishing pressure
Destructive & abusive
fishing method

Agriculturaldevelopment schemesImpacts
Diminish in traditional
protein and income
Malnutrient, health problems,
reduced quality of life

Relative increase inneglected species
Relative increase in small-sized
species and individuals
Increasing scarcity of certain
species from certain river system

Ecological imbalance
Breakdown of the rural social
structures and traditional
ways of life

Recommendation
1

Protection of fish + management of habitat – Legislative: SFO, 2003 &WPO, 1998

2

Enhancement of protection through frequent patrolling

3

Collaboration and funding? - More survey, more data?

43E - Education, Enforcement, Engagement (with local people)

5

Systematic captive breeding - reintroduction of fish stock

6Standardize the method for fish assessment - guideThank you
khairulazman.sulaiman@toro-konsult.se