Comparative studies of fish production in brackish waters between intact (Matang) and exploited (Merbok) mangrove areas
Country
Malaysia
Description
[Synopsis]
The brackish waters in which sea water and fresh water are mixed occur mainly in tropical and subtropical coast‐lines, and many mangrove trees spread out along the brackish water coast‐lines. Mangrove trees are not only utilized for charcoal production but also serve as nursery grounds for fish and prawns. In the comprehensive studies conducted to evaluate the productivity of brackish water mangrove ecosystems and identify criteria for sustainable utilization of the areas, comparative studies have been carried out on fish biomass between intact (Matang) and exploited (Merbok) brackish water mangrove ecosystems in Peninsular Malaysia. The distinct C-N isotopic ratio gradient in the Matang brackish water mangrove ecosystems suggests that the food pathway start from the mangrove leaf-based detritus to carnivorous fish and squids through herbivorous shrimps and crabs. The Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve in Perak consisting of 40,711 hectares and situated on the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia has been under sustainable yield management since the early part of the century. On the other hand, in the case of the Merbok Mangrove area in Kedah, situated in a further northwestern direction from Matang and covering 8,000 ha which has been exploited, the mangrove area during the past ten years has been reduced by about 11% from 9,037ha in 1980 to 8,034ha in 1990 and the loss of mangroves is still continuing. Biomass of juvenile anchovy, Stolephorus spp., in Matang was 4.3 times higher than in Merbok. The information obtained here will be useful to scientists in many fields to improve the technology for sustainable utilization of brackish water mangrove ecosystems, which will bring about benefits especially to dwellers in the areas and also to policy-makers.
- Affiliation
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Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Fisheries Division
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Fisheries Research Institute, Malaysia
Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute
National Research Institute of Fisheries Science
- Classification
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Administration
- Term of research
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FY1995-1999
- Responsible researcher
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HAYASE Shigeo ( Fisheries Division )
HUSIN Ahmad ( Fisheries Research Institute, Malaysia )
YAMASHITA Yoh ( Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute )
TANAKA Katsuhisa ( National Research Institute of Fisheries Science )
SASEKUMAR A. ( University of Malaya )
Chong Ving-Ching ( University of Malaya )
- ほか
- Japanese PDF
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1997_03_A3_ja.pdf1.68 MB