Bilih Fish Endemic to Lake Singkarak Successfully Bred Outside Habitat

TheIndonesia.id - A total of 7,000 cultivated bilih fish were released to their natural habitat in Lake Singkarak, West Sumatra, by PT Semen Padang which is a subsidiary of PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (SIG). A fish with the Latin name Mystacoleucus padangensis was successfully bred by the Bung Hatta University team sponsored by PT Semen Padang.

The President Director of SIG, Donny Arsal, in a press release in Surabaya, Wednesday, said that bilih fish is the result of conservation carried out by the Bung Hatta University Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM UBH) in the Biodiversity Park (Kehati) area belonging to PT Semen Padang since July 2018.

"The conservation of bilih fish is a form of the company's concern for the environment, especially the Lake Singkarak bilih fish, the Mystacoleucus Padangensis species and the only species in the world that is threatened with extinction due to exploitation," said Arsal.

Arsal said that conservation was quite effective in preserving bilih fish. He hopes that the company's conservation of bilih fish is balanced with restrictions on the use of an excessive fishing method and so on.

"Seeing the high success rate, this conservation effort needs to be increased on a larger scale and can serve as an education for the community about bilih fish cultivation outside their habitat," said Arsal.

He explained that the release of bilih fish was carried out twice. As many as 4,000 fish were released in March 2022 and 3,000 bilih fish were released on Saturday, July 30.

Bilih fish is an endemic fish typical of Lake Singkarak which is threatened with extinction. The population is currently very limited due to large-scale exploration using methods that are very detrimental to the community.

PT Semen Padang was the first to successfully breed it outside the natural habitat of bilih fish using several technologies, such as natural, semi-natural, and artificial. Breeding was carried out in a research laboratory in the D1 area of PT Semen Padang.

The Deputy Governor of West Sumatra, Audy Joinaldy, appreciated the efforts to preserve the fish by SIG together with LPPM UBH. According to him, the conservation of bilih fish outside their habitat is not easy, there are many failures and very small successes.

"Even in 2020, the status of bilih fish is declared almost extinct. With its almost extinct status, this bilih fish should be more expensive than salmon in Japanese restaurants," said Joinaldy.

Meanwhile, the Chancellor of UBH, Tafdil Husni, said that UBH's involvement in bilih fish conservation is a form of UBH's contribution through the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) which is supported by the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences.

According to Husni, the distribution of bilih fish is considered to be extraordinary for the economy of Bilih fishermen in Lake Singkarak. For example, from 1,500 bilih fish that are spread, with 800 females among them, each female will have 3,000 eggs. If it is calculated, then the number will be 2.4 million bilih fish that will breed. One million bilih fish, equal to 5,000 kg.

"Currently, the price of bilih fish is Rp50,000 (per kilogram). If we calculate it again in a year, the number can reach Rp250 million. This is for 1 million fish produced from 800 female bilih fish distributed today. Especially if the paper count is 2.4 million, Of course, the result is around Rp600 million per year. Let's work together to preserve this bilih fish, so that it can develop well in its natural habitat," he said.