Fisheries department officers trying to capture the aggressive arapaima in an operation on Friday. (JPM pic)
PETALING JAYA: The three arapaima that were caught in Masjid Tanah, Melaka, on Friday have died.
Sinar Harian reported that the invasive species, weighing 80-200kg and measuring 1.2-2.5m each, were confirmed to have died after being transferred to Zoo Negara.
Melaka fisheries director Saufi Affandi Talib said an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.
“After this process, the department will preserve them for educational and public awareness purposes,” he said.
The aggressive fish injured five fisheries department staff involved in an operation to capture them on Friday.
Fisheries director-general Adnan Hussain said the Melaka fisheries department captured the arapaima in response to concerns by members of the public about the impact the fish would have on local biodiversity.
Adnan said the fish had been kept by their owners in a reservoir under an abandoned building, where they were fed by local residents and visitors to a nearby restaurant.
The arapaima is one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world.
While its natural distribution is the Amazon basin, it has been found in countries such as the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
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