Work Plan Implementation (Working Paper)       SCS/78/WP/69 SOUTH CHINA SEA FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT AND COORDINATING PROGRAMME CAGE CULTURE OF MARINE FISH IN EAST COAST PENINSULAR MALAYSIA TABLE OF CONTENTS

Agriculture and Fisheries Department, Hong Kong;
and Division of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture,
Malaysia

A REPORT ON AN ASSESSMENT OF THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCING
CAGE CULTURE OF MARINE FISH TO PULAU PERHENTIAN BESAR AND
KUALA SETIU LAGOON ON EAST COAST OF PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Collaborators

SOUTH CHINA SEA FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT AND COORDINATING PROGRAMME
Manila, Philippines
February 1978

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT

The copyright in this publication is vested in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, by any method or process, without written permission from the copyright holder. Applications for such permission with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction desired, should be made through and addressed to the Programme Leader, South China Sea Fisheries Development and Coordinating Programme, P.O. Box 1184, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Project Document Identification

Work Plan Activity: 4(a)(iii), (v), (d)(i)(ii)
and 5(d)(v)

4. Aquaculture

The objective will be to establish a programme of action for aquaculture development through the improvement of cultural practices in existing areas in particular countries, and the development of new areas.

1. Determination of particular aquaculture systems most likely to be profitable;

   3. Examine the probable availability of stocking material for promising types of aquaculture, either from wild stocks or through hatcheries.

   5. Plan programmes of research and pilot-scale operations for the promising types of aquaculture.

4. Preparation of pre-investment or feasibility studies for aquaculture expansion and development;

   1. Preparation of programmes for aquaculture development in the particular countries.

   2. Feasibility studies or pre-investment studies for (i) above.

5. Preliminary and Complementary Activities

4. Assessing the status and socio-economic position of the artisanal fishermen in the appropriate countries of the Programme.

   5. Assist the appropriate countries in the preparation of programmes oriented toward the resolution of the problem appreciating the two aspects of it; firstly the activities that can be implemented by the fishery sector of the respective countries and secondly, activities that must be taken care of by rural development schemes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The FAO/UNDP South China Sea Fisheries Development and Coordinating Programme (SCSP) wishes to express its deep appreciation to the Agriculture and Fisheries Department of Hong Kong for making available, free of charge, the services of its staff for this technical assistance to the Government of Malaysia. It demonstrates arrangements which can be made for regional transfer of technology and TCDC type cooperation.

The authors wish to express their appreciation to the full cooperation of the Director-General of the Division of Fisheries, Malaysia, and his division staff. To the Team Leader and staff of the FAO/UNDP Pilot Project at Kuala Besut, they are also indebted for the various forms of assistance.

To the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries Department, Hong Kong, they are particularly grateful for having been given this considerably interesting and challenging assignment. The assistance of Dr. Michael Chiu, Hydrographer of the Department, has been most valuable, for which the authors are also most grateful.

To the SCSP, the authors are particularly grateful for its efficiency in making various arrangements, in particular, the services of Mr. H.L. Cook, who travelled to Kuala Besut and rendered valuable assistance to the Team.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

1. INTRODUCTION

2. LOGISTICS BEHIND THE WORK PROGRAMMES

2.1 A summary of problems

2.2 The work programme

3. PULAU PERHENTIAN BESAR

3.1 The environment

3.2 Suitability assessment

3.3 Proposed culture system

4. KUALA SETIU LAGOON

4.1 The environment

4.1.1 General setting

4.1.2 Night conditions

4.1.3 Northeast monsoon conditions

4.2 Suitability assessment

4.3 Proposed culture system

5. DEMONSTRATION OF CAGE CULTURE AND FISH SEED COLLECTION

5.1 Site selection

5.2 Construction of rafts and cages

5.3 Anchorage of rafts

5.4 Layout of the pilot farm

5.5 Capture of fish seedlings

5.6 Stocking and feeding

6. PROPOSED ONE-YEAR PROGRAMME

6.1 Pulau Perhentian Besar

6.2 Kuala Setiu Lagoon

7. ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT

7.1 Floating net cages

7.2 Supporting land-based facilities

7.3 Sea transport

7.4 Hydrographic equipment

7.5 Miscellaneous stores

8. EXPATRIATE EXPERTISE AND COUNTERPART PERSONNEL

8.1 Trial phase

8.2 Subsequent full-scale commercial development

8.3 Proposed personnel requirements for the first year

8.4 Expertise requirements in subsequent commercial development

9. COMPLEMENTARY AND SUPPORTIVE ACTIVITIES

TABLES

Table 1 - Hydrographic parameters measured at the five stations at the southern bay of Pulau Perhentian Besar on 31/7/77

Table 2 - Hydrographic parameters measured at the five stations at the southern bay of Pulau Perhentian Besar on 1/8/77

Table 3 - Monthly rainfall and mean temperature for the year 1976 taken at Kuala Trengganu Weather Station

Table 4 - A list of fish taxa identified at the Kuala Besut fish landing site during two morning visits, showing the “trash” and other utilisable taxa

Table 5 - Estimation of cost and materials for the setting up of a fish cage at Pulau Perhentian Besar

Table 6 - Salient input and output records essential to annual assessment of the performance of a farm unit

Table 7 - Hypothetical average daily weight increment of some of the recommended marine fishes for culture in Pulau Perhentian Besar

Table 8 - Hydrographic parameters measured at the five stations in Kuala Besut Lagoon on 6/8/77

Table 9 - Hydrographic parameters measured at four stations along a mangrove channel leading into Kuala Setiu Lagoon on 7/8/77

Table 10 - Hydrographic parameters measured during 7-8/8/77 at three stations along a transect from the mangrove stream to the proposed culture site

Table 11 - Hydrographic parameters measured at the five stations in Kuala Setiu Lagoon on 14/11/77

Table 12 - Hydrographic parameters measured during 13-16/11/77 at three stations along a transect from the mangrove stream to the selected culture site

Table 13 - Hydrographic parameters measured at four stations along a mangrove stream leading into Kuala Setiu Lagoon on 14/11/77

Table 14 - Catch record of beach seine operation

Table 15 - Material requirements and actual costs for the construction of floating net cages for the two earmarked prospective operators in Kuala Setiu Lagoon

FIGURES

Figure 1 - The southern bay of Pulau Perhentian Besar showing the five stations at which hydrographic investigation was made on 31/7/77 to 1/8/77

Figure 2 - Drift tracks with position taken at half-hourly intervals on 31/7/77 towards the end of an ebb tide

Figure 3 - Drift tracks with positions taken at half-hourly intervals on 1/8/77 during a flood tide

Figure 4 - Proposed floating net cage with details of design for the Pulau Perhentian Besar site

Figure 5 - Proposed mooring of the floating net cage for the Pulau Perhentian Besar site

Figure 6 - The five hydrographic stations sampled in Kuala Setiu Lagoon on 6/8/77

Figure 7 - The four mangrove channel stations and the three lagoon stations (I–IV and A-C, respectively) sampled during 7-8/8/77

Figure 8 - Proposed floating net cage for the Kuala Setiu Lagoon site

Figure 9 - Hypothetical average daily weight increment trends of the estuarine grouper (Epinephelus tauvina)

Figure 10 - Concrete weight for raft anchorage

Figure 11 - Fish trap

Figure 12 - Layout of the fish farm

Figure 13 - Beach seine (for South China Sea Fish Farming Programme Besut)

Figure 14 - Sites of seed fish collection

APPENDIX A - ITINERARY AND ACTIVITIES OF W.L. CHAN AND JOSEPH HO AND TEAM

ABSTRACT

Cage culture of marine fish was initially identified as a possible activity to provide employment for poor fishermen at the Kuala Besut Small-Scale Fisheries Development pilot site, Kuala Besut, Trengganu, Malaysia. The following work describes the preliminary hydrographic and biological surveys made to determine the feasibility of starting a pilot cage culture project in the area. Subsequently, a plan of work was drafted and actual implementation was started. Activities included the collection of suitable fish for stocking the demonstration cages, the construction of cages using designs found successful in other areas and rearing of selected species of fish in the cages. This work is continuing and future work plans have been formulated. Environmental conditions and results of the trial culture operations are being monitored. Training of local counterpart staff and fish farmers is a part of this work.