Grouper farmers from the states of Johore, Selangor and Penang have banded together to establish the Marine Fish-Farmers Association of Malaysia (MFFAM).
This development is significant as the three states account for approximately 80% of Malaysian farmed fish production.
MFFAM was established at a meeting held in June.
Membership of this association will be open to all marine fin-fish aquaculture related associations, companies or organisations. The association will have a governing council comprising 12 members.
Designed to promote and advance knowledge on all aspects of sustainable aquaculture, the association is being established at a time when the mariculture sector, which is dominated by grouper culture including for the Live Reef Food Fish Trade (LRFFT), is the fastest growing aquaculture sub-sector in the Asia-Pacific region.
While in the past the production needs of this industry was almost exclusively met from the unsustainable practice of harvesting wild-caught juveniles, there has been a growing trend toward “full-cycle” aquaculture with hatcheries now accounting for up to 30-35% of all grouper for grow-out. And while sourcing fish from hatcheries as opposed to wild-caught juveniles is a positive development, there is a need for best practices and standards to be adopted across the entire production process.
Developments in grouper aquaculture are occurring within a heavily market-driven and often poorly regulated environment. Moreover, grouper production in Southeast Asia is mainly comprised of small-scale farmers. Working with these small-scale producers to main-stream improved practices can be challenging and needs the support of broad associations such as the MFFAM to facilitate improvements in farming practices.
