MALAYAN FTSHE8. 



HERRINGS, 



(CLUPEWAE,) 



TMs k a Yery large mid iiiiiHjrtant fumilv. The members 

 range m size from the Pa rang- pa rang {Chirucenirus dorah) 

 which h eaid to exeeed a leugtii of 13 feet to the- Bills [Sioh- 

 pitortfs tri) TV'hifh meaaures not tiiorfl timu 3 or 4 inches. 



Although this family js af great comiuerciiil tiii|)ort^iit^ in 

 Malaya, and tliv Ht^rrinjriit Shad^ Sprat, StirdiJiej*^ Whjte-ba.it and 

 Anchovies Iwloiigiiv^ to it are highly esteonied for their flavour and 

 food value hy the Malays* and all Eastoni races, they are unknown 

 to tlip great majority of European re.^itlentir! in this part of the 

 wurkK with the exeeptioii of the Bills, which is occasional Iv seen 

 served as White bait'* or its a mmbal with curriea or in bottled 

 form as Maenasar Ked fish, 



From ail economic point of view this fanrily u iecond to none 

 in importance and th« fact that some of the most valuahle kinds 

 4is<?CK;'i8te at certain periods in immense shoals accounfci for tht* usc- 

 fuhiess of tlic family as a foo<I sapply. 



The followiujr are the most important mmihs^rs of tlie htrrriiig 

 Family in our watere : 



The Parang- parang (fhirormfrttJi thrah)^ the Terubok 

 (Vltipm (Ahsfi) fniiirfirn). the Selan^at' {Darosoma spp.), the 

 Tamban {Clupcti (ilfiri'tf-t/Nln) spp-), {/hfssuntifiriii sfvp, j juiil 

 {Sprali'lhideji sjip.), the Bills (Sfolcpttnruii spp,) and the Bulu 

 ay am (Ettgmulvi spp,). 



The Parang-parang is a very htmy fish of excellent tJavour 

 and itjs capture Uy hand line providci^ a iiveliliood for several 

 hundred Malays in 8in*<api>re alone. 



Pasien«^ers by steamers proceerlinjr through the Easlerii en- 

 trance tjf) Siugajiore roads will jife a large iiunikT of small eanooa 

 in the deep water ehaiinel and will hear the noiaje of the rattles, 

 T^'hich each Malay fishennan wields imc^asinglv- These rattles do 

 not attract the M\, hnt ke*^p the hand oc("U|iied aud the fiyherman 

 m\ the *' qui vive.'^ The Pa rang- pa rang is not. a gre<jdy l)iTer imd 

 docs not stay in one place, He \s a rapid j?wimmiiig predacious HMi 

 wiio has no time for more tlian a Fiiap as he <lart^ through the water. 

 Bites are usually few and far between and an inexpert or eomuolent 

 fij»hennaii would etitth iioth'tni;. With an ever moving hand en- 

 ^fasfed with a rattle the fish iti struck auil hooketl almost at the in- 

 stall t he bites. 



The Terubok is a Shad ami is coii:^ideral>ly larger than the 

 ordinarv herring. It known to Europeans in India m tlie 

 Hiba'" or Sabk lish/^ Day says : 



"They are exeellent aji food until they have depo&ited 

 their ova, when they beconie tlun and po.'^itively uiiwhuleiioinc. 

 Tlieir flavour has been compareil to a combinatiou of that of 

 the salmon and herring: they are rather heavy of digestio])/'* 



