The man who earned the trust of Sungai Koh’s wild mahseer

Nearly a decade ago, Azman Mustapha was eating lunch beside Sungai Koh when he noticed a few wild mahseer swimming in the clear water and tossed them some leftover rice.

At first, the fish darted away whenever he approached. Mahseer, known locally as ikan kelah, are notoriously sensitive to sound, movement and human presence.

But Azman kept returning and feeding them at roughly the same time each day. Over time, the fish began to associate him with food.

“That spontaneous act slowly became a daily routine. Day by day, more fish gathered here,” the 53-year-old told Bernama. “Now I feed them three to four times a day to encourage them to remain in this stretch of the river.”

Today, Azman estimates that hundreds of thousands of fish, including wild green mahseer, inhabit the stretch of river near Batu Mengkebang. The fish have grown more accustomed to human presence, and visitors can watch them gather in large numbers at feeding time.

“The greatest satisfaction is seeing visitors arrive and the fish no longer swim away,” he said, pointing out that in the early days, even the sound of footsteps along the riverbank could send them disappearing into deeper water.

“Getting wild mahseer used to people is not easy because they are extremely sensitive. It took me almost nine years to reach this stage,” he added.

When feeding begins, the calm river can quickly fill with movement as the fish converge near the surface. For visitors, the sight of so many normally elusive mahseer in one place has become the main draw.

“When I see people’s excitement as the fish appear, I know every bit of effort has been worth it,” Azman said.

In 2023, he established FMC Kelah Eco Park beside the river, turning nearly 3km of Sungai Koh into a conservation-focused attraction.

“It’s an ecotourism destination built around protecting, rather than exploiting, the river’s natural ecosystem,” he noted.

That distinction matters because mahseer are highly prized as food fish. Farmed specimens can fetch hundreds of ringgit per kilogramme, but Azman said the wild fish in Sungai Koh are left undisturbed.

He has instead set up separate breeding ponds using broodstock obtained from external suppliers, allowing him to learn more about the species while meeting market demand without harvesting the river population.

For Azman, the value of the wild fish lies in the health of the river that sustains them.

Mahseer need clean, oxygen-rich water to thrive. Protecting the surrounding forest is therefore just as important, as unchecked development could cause erosion, degrade water quality and damage the ecosystem.

More than a fish sanctuary

The project has also begun drawing attention for its potential to support the surrounding community through nature-based tourism.

Universiti Malaysia Kelantan’s Institute for Poverty Research and Management has identified the park as an example of how conservation can be linked with rural development.

Its director, Ahmad Fahme Ali, said the river’s healthy mahseer population points to the importance of protecting natural habitats before trying to build tourism around them.

“We can clearly see that the mahseer’s natural habitat there remains intact and that its population continues to grow,” he said. “This shows the river ecosystem in that area has been well protected and carefully preserved.”

Senior lecturer Nur Ida Fatihah Che Shalifullizam added that nature-based tourism can create opportunities beyond the attraction itself, from food and accommodation to transport, recreation and small businesses.

For Azman, however, further growth comes with a condition. Better roads, electricity and visitor facilities may help the park develop, but he does not want expansion to damage the river that made it possible.

“If this river is damaged, the fish will disappear,” he stressed. “And when the fish are gone, everything we’ve built over the past decade will disappear with them.”

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