Chenderoh Reservoir, Malaysia: a characterization of a small-scale, multigear and multispecies artisanal fishery in the tropics

Abstract

A study on the artisanal fishery of Chenderoh Reservoir, Perak River, Malaysia, was conducted from April 1988 to May 1989 using creel survey, rapid rural appraisal (RRA) and test fishing. The main landing site, used by 30 fishers and controlled by a middleman, was identified. The fishers indicated fishing as a secondary occupation supplementing income from farming or rubber tapping. The fishery was not regulated and most of the catch (30–94%) was landed with multifilament gill-nets (stretched-mesh 5.7, 10.2 and 11.4 cm), whereas long lines (30–40 m long) contributed 6.2–55.0% of the catch. Each fisher used a wooden boat (4–6 m long, 1.0–1.5 m wide) fitted with a 5 hp gasoline engine and utilized either 15–20 sets of gill-nets each 3 m deep and 30–40 m long or one or two sets of long lines. The daily catch per unit of effort (CPUE) was low (2.7–12.8 kg per fisher-day) and the daily income ranged from Malaysian Ringgit (M$) 4.94 to 32.43 per fisher-day. The total annual catch and income generated by the fishery was 25713.0 kg and M$63179.74, respectively. Even with declining catches the fishery is still important in providing supplementary incomes. In the absence of ‘official’ regulations and management, the fishing community imposed their own rules and regulations which were enforced by the middleman.