Villagers feed the fish in Sungai Semadang, one of the rivers in Sarawak that has implemented the tagang system.
KUCHING: The ‘tagang’ (controlled fishing) system along Sungai Semadang – the upper reach of Sungai Sarawak Kiri – in Kampung Semadang near Jalan Puncak Borneo, about 40km from here is among the most successful of its kind in the state.
It was introduced to the villagers by the state Agriculture Department in 2007, as a viable concept to preserve and sustain fish population in the river.
In this respect, Sungai Semadang is deemed ideal for the system as it is home to several high-value fish species.
So far, the system – known as ‘tagal’ in Sabah – has replenished the river with massive supply of protein for the villagers.
Kampung Semadang headman Samson Manggang said they would fish once a year, or every two years.
He said once, the villagers harvested 250kg of fish from the river two years after the tagang was implemented, but after that there had been no harvesting as they did not want to disturb the system.
“Harvesting is done responsibly. All the small fish and those of breeding size are released back into the water to ensure their survival.
“Under tagang system, the villagers look after that stretch of water closest to them. They are indeed the guardians and protectors (of the river) as they also don’t allow anyone to fish or cast net in the waters.
“They also don’t pollute the river,” he said.
Apart from keeping the fish population thriving, the tagang system has also made a tremendous impact on the tourism industry in Kampung Semadang through the holding of Semadang River Tagang@Fishing Festival 2015, which will kick off this Saturday.
The programme will have participants competing in three categories, namely ‘Fastest Catch’, ‘Biggest Fish Caught’ and ‘Total Weight of Fish Caught’.
According to Samson, his committee has decided that there would not be any fish harvesting this time around.
“Instead, we will run a fishing competition along the tagang area this Oct 3. We welcome all of those who are interested to come and sign up for the event,” he said, highlighting that the contestant would stand to win cash prizes.
The village headman said the key objectives of the competition were to introduce the benefits of the tagang system to the public, and to promote fishing activities as one of the tourism products offered in Kampung Semadang.
However, Samson said his village had plentyof other tourism attractions.
“We have pristine rivers with plenty of fish and are popular for kayaking. We also have caves and forest areas that are perfect for hiking and other outdoor activities,” he said, pointing out that there are three homestays in Kampung Semadang.
According to one of the operators, Robert Tao, his homestay can easily accommodate up to 30 guests at one time.
His units provide comfortable rooms that come equipped with treated water and 24-hour electricity supply, television sets and refrigerators.
His homestay also has a café, a meeting room and large open space for outdoor activities including camping.
“Our place is surrounded by nature – that’s the special thing about it. Near to the homestay are three caves, a stream and a forest area suitable for trekking.
“There are also areas with 1,000 pepper vines, as well as cocoa and banana farms and six fish ponds.
“For those who like swimming or just soaking, we have a waterfall nearby with surrounding sites complete with barbecue sets,” said Robert, mentioning that his place had been booked by a group of students from Swinburne University of Australia who would be coming down here in December for a study programme.