16 JUNE 2017 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Aquaculture plays a key role in Malaysia’s food-fish supply. In 2016, food-fish production was 1.99 million t, valued at RM 13.18 billion (USD 3.45 billion), and the contribution from aquaculture was 506,454 t, valued at MYR 3.3 billion (USD 0.8 billion, DOF, 2016). Aquaculture provides employment, business and investment opportunities in the country. In 2015, there were 23,832 aquafarmers in Malaysia, mainly in the freshwater sector, and the majority are owneroperators (DOF 2016). With the decline in production from capture fisheries, aquaculture is now an important source of protein for the country’s 30.75 million inhabitants. Fish is often on the daily menu of Malaysians and an average family will spend about 20 percent of their food expenditures on seafood. This trend remains unchanged despite the availability of competitively priced chicken. Malaysia’s annual per capita fish consumption in 2014 was among the highest in Asia at 56.5 kg and the preferred farmed fish include tilapia and Clarias catfish. The two parts of Malaysia — peninsular Malaysia (or West Malaysia) on the Malay Peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak (or East Malaysia) located on the northern part of the island of Borneo — enjoy good climatic conditions, allowing for year-round aquaculture production. There is a low risk of severe natural disasters, except the monsoon rains on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia from November to January. With good connectivity, Malaysian producers have easy access to world markets. Currently the four major markets for seafood products are China, Japan, US and the European Union. Asian markets (South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore) also offer market opportunities for live, chilled and frozen seafood products from Malaysia. Current Status of Aquaculture in Malaysia In 2015, the production of various marine finfish and marine shrimp was valued at more than MYR 2.1 billion (USD 550,000, DOF 2016). Marine shrimp was a major commodity until 2012 when farms were affected by disease outbreaks. Nevertheless, it remains the choice of investors. In freshwater aquaculture, Clarias and Pangasius catfish production leads due to a strong local demand Transforming the Aquaculture Industry in Malaysia Mohd Fariduddin Othman, Mazuki Hashim, Yeo Moi Eim, Mohammad Noor Amal Azmai, Natrah Iksan, Ho Gim Chong and Zuridah Merican but tilapia, although small in terms of production, was valued at MYR 223,000 (USD 58,000). Production of tilapia is for local and export markets. Seaweed farming contributed 51 percent to total aquaculture production. The leading mollusk is the cockle. Malaysia is also recognized as a major producer and exporter of ornamental fish, in particular the golden arowana. The ornamental fish industry is export oriented and major markets are in Europe, the Middle East, Japan and China. Marine and brackishwater aquaculture is dominated by two species of marine shrimp (Letopenaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon) and the Asian seabass Lates calcarifer, various snappers Lutjanus spp. and high-value groupers in coastal floating cages. With regards to groupers sold live, new species are being introduced according to market demands. Marine fish, in particular the Asian seabass, are also farmed in brackishwater ponds. Production was 47,085 t of various marine fish and 52,580 t of marine shrimp in 2015 (DOF 2016). More than 15 species of fish, mainly catfishes and tilapias, are farmed in freshwater aquaculture. This is due to the availability of fry, fingerlings and commercial feeds as well as adaptability to several culture systems (Othman 2008). Culture systems are mainly floating cages in lakes and ex-mining pits, earthen ponds and tanks. Since 2010, the production of hybrid and river catfish have been increasing. In 2015, production of hybrid Clarias gariepinus reached 50,693 t, overtaking tilapia, which remain steady at 35,431 t. In the 1970s, Malaysia was well known for the developments in the farming of the giant Malaysian prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii but its production has been on the decline. Marine Shrimp Commercial farming of the marine shrimp began in the 1980s with the black tiger shrimp P. monodon. Industry growth slowed in the late 1990s due to outbreaks of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). This prompted the government to allow the farming of domesticated Pacific white shrimp L. vannamei in the latter part of 2004 (Othman 2008). For biosecurity reasons, the government only allowed the use of post-larvae from certified specific pathogen free (SPF) broodstock imported from Hawaii, Florida Singapore, Aquaculture production in Malaysia in 2015 (t) from all resources (DOF 2016). Aquaculture production in Malaysia in 2015 was 506,465 t.
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