By Mohd Kamal Ahmad

Even though the monsoon season is not over yet, anglers in Peninsular Malaysia are ready for action again after a few months of their fishing rods being stored due to the flood season and rough seas. Now it’s time for them to hunt for ‘jenggo’ – the popular nickname for udang galah (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) or giant fresh water prawn that are plentiful after the flood season. A male jenggo with blue spiny pincers weighs about 200 grams and four or five jenggos can reach 1 kilogram.

Most of the rivers in the Peninsula are inhabited by giant fresh water prawns. In the major rivers of the West coast such as Sungai Muar, Sungai Selangor, Sungai Bernam and Sungai Perak there are hundreds of prawn fishing boat jetties. Likewise, the rivers in the East Coast, are also famous giant prawn beds. Now the jetties on the bank of these rivers are getting busy because of the thousands of hardcore anglers flocking to bag jengggos. They come from all over and would not mind spending their days and nights to catch the biggest of the prawns with the blue pincers.

Each angler often brings four to six rods. Two or three anglers will board a boat measuring 10 to 14 foot long that is powered by 2 to 15horsepower outboard engines, depending on the condition of the river. Apart from their fishing gear, they also bring food and drinks, usually a thermos of hot coffee. A torchlight, raincoat and parang are among the compulsory items to be brought along. Some will bring papier mache egg trays as insect repellent; when left to smoulder the smoke will repel mosquitoes and gnats so that the anglers can go about their business unhindered by insect bites.

Ultra-light action fishing rods with fishing lines of less than 10-pound strength and size 8 hooks are the mainstay of jenggo anglers; when a prawn grabbed the bait on the hook the ultra-light action rod will shake and bend thus letting the angler feels the excitement and thrill of the hunt. Earthworm, chicken liver, perumpun or ruat (salt water worms) and white shrimp are among the common baits for jenggo, depending on the location.

Diehard angler Zulkarnain Omar from Cherating knows the ins and outs of many prawn holes in Sungai Endau, Sungai Rompin, Sungai Pahang and Sungai Kuantan. He said the best time for prawn fishing in these four rivers is right after the monsoon season and the catch peaks in May or June before tapering off to normal, off-season numbers.

He said, the main giant freshwater prawn fishing holes in Sungai Pahang are Lubuk Paloh Hinai and Lubuk Pam Pasir in Pekan. In the Sungai Kuantan estuary, there are Lubuk Bukit Rangin, Lubuk Belat and the waters of Sungai Soi and Sungai Isap. In Endau, the best fishing grounds are found around Semeloi up to the headwaters of the Endau River and the mouths of the tributaries there.

Prawns are active as early as 4am up to noon and between 2pm to 7pm. For each trip, an angler can bring home a catch between one to four kilograms.

As each angler spends about RM200 for a fishing trip, freshwater prawn fishing has the potential to generate income for the rakyat at the grassroots level – from bait, boat rental and chalet operators to stall and restaurants owners, all can benefit from the activity. Multiply the number by thousands of hard-core prawn anglers across the country and we can see the huge economic impact this activity can generate. Thus, it would be beneficial if the government can promote this activity to its full potentials.

By promoting the giant prawn to tourists, the income of stakeholders in the value chain mentioned earlier will be greater. Perhaps it is even possible to increase the economic value further, to RM300 or RM500 per person! One way of doing this is by classifying the local and foreign tourists who take part in this activity as sport fishing tourists, so that more facilities can be put up to fully realise its potentials to contribute to grassroots income generation.

The government can start the ball rolling by encouraging resorts and hotels operators to serve udang galah dishes to their clients. They can have aquariums to display live freshwater prawns or fishing ponds on the resort site for tourists to experience the thrills of catching the giants with the blue pincers. And, finally they can offer prawn fishing packages in the nearby rivers.

A prawn on the weighing scale

Infrastructure and facilities at certain jetties also need to be upgraded so that tourists will feel comfortable and safe to explore the rivers. The safety equipment, boat condition and the fishing sites must also be in tip top condition for tourists to bring back sweet memories of their exciting fishing experience.

By recognising udang galah as a tourism product, more attention will be given to the conservation and reproduction of the species by the related government agencies. This will also lead to better enforcement of laws protecting our rivers from pollution and environmental destruction. Stakeholders will also be encouraged to protect river resources and prawn habitats from threats as the value of the prawns increases.

Prawn fishing will also bring tourists back to nature. They can see crocodiles, monkeys, birds, otters, snakes, insects and beautiful plants on their fishing trips. Their stories, pictures and videos of the fishing trips will become powerful advertisements that can influence their family and friends to come here and get a similar experience.

In this regard, the President of the All Malaysia Anglers Association (PPsM), Fadzly Rani said the association has launched a giant prawn sustainability campaign by promoting the practice of releasing two out of every five prawns caught back to their habitat. It is hoped that this practice will have a big impact on the sustainability of giant prawn in this country.

“Giant prawn fishing has the potentials to become an income generator for the grassroots. It can boost many branches of economic activities from boat repairs to rooms and accommodation as there are many aspects of the fishing trips that translate into ringgit and cent,” he added.

An angler smiling broadly with his catch

Main picture: An angler with his bountiful catch of udang galah