Alien fish make up 95% of Ampang Hilir lake, ministry says

Alien fish make up 95% of fish recorded at the Ampang Hilir lake in Kuala Lumpur, a ministry official said. Only eight of 154 were local species.

The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry shared the findings on 17 October, at a fish removal programme.

Here is what the ministry found, what it asks the public to do and what may change.

What happened at the Ampang Hilir lake

The Fisheries Department and its partners held a four-hour removal programme at the Ampang Hilir lake on Saturday 17 October. The Star said the lake covers 16 hectares.

Also, about 250 people from seven agencies and groups took part, Bernama reported. They used seine nets, cast nets, fishing lines and fish traps.

Meanwhile, The Star reported that anglers hauled more than 1,800kg of invasive fish from the lake. A Fisheries Department official said the team removed over 2,000 fish.

However, RTM reported 367 foreign fish caught, so the totals differ between reports. Tilapia, lampam jawa, African catfish and plecos were among them, RTM said.

In response, native fish went back in. The Star and RTM reported a release of 32,500 young fish and 11 adult native fish.

Agrobank, a partner, said it released 1,400 fry, made up of 1,100 baung and 300 lampam sungai. The reports do not say if these are part of the larger release.

Ampang Hilir lake: Why the numbers matter

The department’s records list 154 fish at the lake. Of these, 146 were foreign species and eight were local, Bernama reported. That is about 95%. Put another way, about one in 19 fish recorded was local.

Utusan named the local species as ketutu, haruan, puyu and kaloi.

Nationwide, plecos, known as ikan bandaraya, made up 83% of invasive fish landed, The Star reported. Peacock bass, or ikan raja, made up 13.8%.

Likewise, by state, Perak accounted for 50.3% of landings, Negeri Sembilan 16.5% and Selangor 13.3%. The programme began in Pahang and Negeri Sembilan in 2022.

Then it went nationwide in 2024. The Star said about 19.6 tonnes of invasive fish were removed through 37 programmes between 2022 and 2025. Bernama gave 19.74 tonnes.

In addition, the ministry keeps records at 128 water bodies, including 12 in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, The Star said.

What you can do and what may change

The ministry asked the public not to release pet or ornamental fish into lakes, rivers or dams. Its secretary-general, Datuk Seri Isham Ishak, named plecos in particular.

Unwanted fish “should be destroyed or turned into compost”, not dumped in public lakes, he said, The Star reported. “At the rate these species multiply, we cannot take this matter lightly,” he added.

Also, hand suspected invasive species to the Fisheries Department. The department urged dealers to stop selling invasive fish.

Overall, the ministry is reviewing the rules. A total ban on certain species is possible, The Star and Bernama reported. A steering committee on invasive species will lead the review, RTM said.

However, none of the reports named a fine or a law for releasing pet fish. We will update this report when the ministry sets out any new rules.

For more on clean-up work, see our reports on the Seri Buat Island cleanup. Also read how GE Aerospace volunteers cleared 142kg of waste at Bagan Lalang. In addition, we covered a recycling programme at Kuala Lumpur PPR communities