Exploring management and monitoring of harmful algal bloom events in Malaysia: government sector

Abstract

Aquaculture industry is identified as one of the major sources to increase fish production to meet domestic demand and expand export potential. In Malaysia, it has a production of about 407,403 tonnes with a value of approximately RM 2,784,721 in 2016 that contributed 21 percent to the total fish production. It highly come with the risk of uncertainty that it can give an unexpected loss if there is problem arise. One of the uncertainties is harmful algal bloom. Harmful algal bloom involving fish kills has been reported since 2002 in Malaysia. A total estimated loss of almost RM 700k was reported by the Department of Fisheries Johor in 2014 in which involved eight fish cages. Given that HABs is still in the exploratory stage in the context of Malaysia, an in-depth interview with the key persons involved in HAB outbreaks was conducted to explore the handling process of HAB in preventing the fish kills in Malaysia. This paper aims to explore the monitoring program of HAB outbreaks in Malaysia in the government sector in perceive to help managing and mitigating the events of harmful algal bloom in Malaysia’s aquaculture industry. This study aims to help giving an insight on the management of algal outbreak in Malaysia.