Singkarak Lake Bilih Fish Threatened With Extinction, KKP Prepares Management Rules

Illustration (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) is preparing regulations for the management of Bilih Fish (Mystacoleucus Padensis).

The reason is, this endemic fish that lives in Lake Singkarak, West Sumatra (West Sumatra) has experienced overfishing and decreased fishing measures over the past few years.

"Fish bilih is included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list with the category Vulnerable (VU). This fish experiences the threat of extinction due to excess arrest, the use of non-sustainable fishing tools, pollution and decline in habitat quality and habitat degradation," said Director of Conservation and Marine Biodiversity of the Directorate General of Marine and Marine Management (Ditjen PKRL) Firdaus Agung quoted from the official KKP website, Monday, May 13.

Firdaus said, there are eight types of freshwater fish, the genus Mystacoleucus.spp in the world. However, for the type of bilih fish (Mystacoleicus Padensis) only exists in Lake Singkarak, West Sumatra.

Di mengatakan, hasil penelajaan Pokja Perlindungan Biota Perairan Terancam Pundah Prioritas Tahun 2023 Badan Research dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN) merekomendasikan perlunya dilakukan perlindungan terhadap fish bilih.

This is in accordance with Article 12 of the Fishery Law, which states that everyone is prohibited from committing acts that result in pollution or damage to fish resources and/or their environment in the Fishery Management Area (WPP) of the Republic of Indonesia.

"Therefore, it is necessary to protect fish resources and their environment through the synergy of various parties," he said.

According to Firdaus, in addition to intense cooperation between stakeholders, both regional and national, the protection of bilih fish and the Lake Singkarak ecosystem must also be carried out based on scientific studies and paying attention to the ecosystem and socio-economic aspects of the community around Lake Singkarak.

"According to their duties and functions, the KKP will begin to regulate ecosystem conservation and marine biota in mainland waters. Bilih fish conservation in Lake Singkarak is a good example in terms of the government's role in protecting freshwater water resources," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the West Sumatra Marine and Fisheries Service (DKP), Reti Wafda, said that his party was trying to save fish from the threat of extinction.

One of them is by establishing Lake Singkarak as 15 national priority lakes that need rescue through Presidential Regulation Number 60 of 2021 concerning National Priority Lake Rescue.

"Following up Presidential Regulation Number 60 of 2021, the government has stipulated Governor of West Sumatra Regulation Number 4 of 2023 concerning the Use of Fish Fishing Equipment in Lake Singkarak which prohibits the use of Fish Fishing Equipment (API) which can damage fish resources in the waters of Lake Singkarak. The fire in question is an lifting net/bagan," he said.

Researcher at the BRIN Center for Limnology and Water Resources, Syahroma Husni Nasution, said that there had been a decline in population and size over the last 24 years (1997-2021) period, where the size of the bilih fish decreased by 60 percent (186 to 59 mm) and over fishing occurred ([E] Bilih fish > 0.61) by a chart catcher.

"Fish bilih in Lake Singkarak needs to be protected on a limited basis based on size, which is not to be caught at a fish size of 70-90 mm due to the ripe condition of the gonad. In addition, it is not allowed to use a net measuring <3/4 inches on the chart and gillnet fishing gear," he concluded.