8 MALAYAN FISHES. 



Their density causes them to sink lower in brackish water until 

 they eventually find bottom in the shallow bays and estuaries and in 

 this way are gradually dispersed all long the coast. Then a 

 metamorphosis takes place and the feeble Leptocephalus is trans- 

 formed into the active little fish which swims vigorously against 

 the current and feeds incessantly and voraciously all the time. 



In a recent report on the Tisheries of the Straits Settlements 

 and Federated Malay States the writer drew attention to the 

 Chinese fish-traps called pompang and other licensed fixed engines 

 known as amhai, langgai, etc., of which there are several thousand 

 between Penang and Port Swettenham. Though there are many 

 kinds of these traps they all work on the same principle. In every 

 case there is a wide V-shajaed entrance terminating in a long- 

 funnel-shaped bag made of sacking or plaited split bamboos. The 

 position of these traps is arranged with respect to the currents 

 and tides so as to intercept the larvae and immature fish during 

 their denatant drift to the shallows. Most of these traps float, and 

 swing round with each tide so as to take toll both with the ebb and 

 the ilow. 



An examination of the contents of these traps shews tliat in 

 addition to immature fish, which any Malay fisherman will tell you 

 are the fry of valuable food fish, the bulk of the catches are made 

 up of feeble, attenuated, small-headed larval-like fishes which the 

 Malays call Bunga ayer and to which they attach no value. 



There can be httle doubt that scientific investigation will prove 

 that the Bunga ayer are valuable food-fish in the Leptocephalus 

 stage. 



This subject has been treated at some length lieeause of its 

 great economic importance and because the questions raised eannoit 

 be answered except by a specialist in marine biology. 



Though myriads of larval and immature fish are caught daily 

 for duck food, pig food and manure, and thousands of pikuls are 

 exported as dried fish refuse, it has been argued, while admitting 

 amhai catches are used mainly as pig food, that it appears a 

 debatable point whether the flesh value thus produced is not as 

 great as the extra fish value which might be caught if the frj killed 

 by ambai were left undisturbed! 



We cannot afPord to allow such points to remain debatable. 



Let us go on with the life history of the tiny fish which we 

 left in the first stage of an active existence in the shallow waters 

 near the coast. These shallows are the nurseries or recruiting 

 grounds where the" fry keep together in schools or shoals. 



" After a period in relatively shallow water, the shoal 

 migrates to deeper water. At first the migration is not to a 

 great distance, but with growth the annual pulsation becomes 

 greater and greater. 



