WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2015 39 The population of Malaysia has increased tremendously over the past 20 years and the demand for food continues to rise. Multiple factors have led to the gradual depletion of wild fish. Coastal fishing communities are facing problems capturing enough wild fish to sustain livelihoods. Malaysia is now moving toward aquaculture for food security rather than capture fisheries. The Department of Fisheries Malaysia introduced oyster farming in selected areas of the country under the auspices of the Bay of Bengal Programme (1988-1993). Oyster farming is considered a clean form of aquaculture that uses green technology because no manufactured feed is required for oysters to grow. Because oysters are filter feeders, they only rely on natural food, mostly phytoplankton. Farming techniques are very simple and the technology used can be easily transferred to local growers. Simple technology and minimal labor are all that is required in oyster farming and these can be applied by almost all fishermen. This form of aquaculture can be done on a part-time basis. This means local oyster growers can still be involved in their primary activities, such as fishing or farming, in the morning and then manage the oyster culture in the afternoon. Therefore, oyster culture will generate additional income for farmers or fishermen when oysters reach market size, between 8 to 10 months, depending on the site selected. However, aquaculture is not applicable to all because of the high costs involved; most people are unable to invest in and sustain a project. The Knowledge Transfer Programme Based on the low cost and simple technology required for oyster farming, the Malaysian Government, together with the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) initiated a Knowledge Transfer Programme (KTP) to promote sustainable income-generating activities that can be easily applied by local fishing communities, with the aim to develop a commercial-scale sustainable oyster farming system that offers economic returns for the farmers and fishers by capturing the domestic and foreign market. Through the KTP, the Malaysian government transferred the support funding USM to implement technology transfer of small-scale oyster farming, working work hand-in-hand with local community members. Basically the Malaysian government provided startup capital for local community members to venture into oyster farming, with USM providing the know-how and managing the initial funding support from the government. There was no research and development component involved, inasmuch as Malaysia started research on oysters in 1989 and there are wellestablished methods for farming oysters on a commercial basis. What is needed is to refine the technology to suit the specific site, with an emphasis on producing a superior product that is better than or at least comparable to imported oysters. Site selection was based on preliminary oyster culture trials as well as local community members who showed high interest. The right culture method and the right culture site with committed farmers will be able to produce superior product with regular shape and size and high quality taste and texture. The selected site for this project was Kampung Sungai Batu Besi, Sungai Merbok, Kedah, Malaysia (Fig. 1). This site was selected based on past studies that had shown that the area was suitable. The specific location of oyster raft placement had been mapped. This was important to avoid conflicts with traditional fishing routes and other human activities. Training of Growers The participants selected were local fishermen and rice farmers. Their monthly income is US$ 80-200 and most are the sole breadwinner of the family. There were four groups of participants, with two to three in a group. Each group was assigned a 10 ft × 10 ft floating cage-raft to be filled with oyster seed. After participants were selected, the university team proceeded with training to build the basic infrastructure. Participants were taught how to build a floating raft. Project funds were used to build the infrastructure (floating rafts) and basic requirements (trays, rope, floats), including oyster seed, which were purchased from a commercial oyster hatchery. Government Efforts to Promote Oyster Farming in Malaysia Aileen Tan Shau-Hwai (CONTINUED ON PAGE 40) The site along the Merbok River, Kedah, Malaysia.
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