Merantau demi ikan pekasam

Robin dan isteri sedang membungkus ikan pekasam sebelum dipasarkan.

Ikan yang dijadikan pekasam perlu diperam selama dua hari sebelum dicampur rempah-ratus. 

 

MOHD ALI HASHIM
5 September 2012

                                                            

Dilahirkan sebagai anak seorang nelayan di Sandakan, Sabah, amat membanggakan bagi Bernad Arasad, 36. Berkat berjinak-jinak dengan laut sejak kecil lagi menimbulkan minat sehinggalah ia mampu mendapat manfaat darinya sehingga kini.

Disebabkan minat yang mendalam dengan ikan dan hidupan laut, Bernad atau lebih dikenali sebagai Robin dengan dibantu oleh isterinya Wahayu Nengsih, 29, sanggup bersusah payah merantau sehingga ke Merbau Kudong, Sungai Dua, Tasek Gelugor, Seberang Perai Utara, untuk menjadikan ikan pekasam sebagai punca pendapatan bagi menyara empat anaknya yang masih di bangku sekolah.

Berbekalkan tulang empat kerat dan semangat juang yang ada, kedua-dua pasangan suami isteri ini  mula menceburi produk ikan pekasam ini sejak lapan tahun lalu.

“Saya percaya di mana ada kemahuan, di situ ada jalannya. Oleh itu, apabila melihat adanya peluang untuk mengusahakan ikan pekasam saya tidak menolak sokongan yang diberikan oleh Jabatan Pertanian," kata Robin lagi.

Ikan puyu, tilapia merah, keli dan lampam adalah antara ikan yang turut menjadi bekalan untuk dijadikan ikan pekasam oleh pasangan ini.

Robin berkata, ikan yang dijadikan pekasam akan diperam selama dua hari dalam peti sejuk. Kemudian ia akan dicampurkan dengan rempah-ratus sebelum diperam pula selama lima hari.

Gula merah, asam jawa, asam keping serta cuka adalah antara bahan yang mereka gunakan bagi mengekalkan keaslian pekasam yang dihasilkan.

“Sebelum proses menjadikan ikan sebagai pekasam, jenis ikan yang hendak digunakan perlu dikenal pasti terlebih dahulu.

“Setelah itu, ia akan dicampur dengan bahan yang disediakan sebelum diperam dalam peti sejuk untuk tempoh tertentu supaya sebati dengan semua campuran yang diadun," ujar Wahayu pula.

Mampu tahan selama setahun

Setiap ikan pekasam yang diperam dalam peti sejuk mampu bertahan selama satu tahun selagi ia tidak diletakkan di bawah sinaran matahari.

Sekiranya ia didedahkan kepada cahaya panas, keasliannya akan tercemar dan boleh menjadi busuk serta tidak enak dimakan.

Setelah cukup tempoh diperam selama tujuh hari, ikan-ikan pekasam akan dikeluarkan dan dibungkus ke dalam plastik mengikut saiz dan bentuknya sebelum disimpan untuk pasaran.

Robin berkata, dari segi pasaran, mereka tidak menghadapi masalah kerana mempunyai pengguna setia di seluruh kawasan utara.

“Ikan pekasam ini lebih banyak mendapat perhatian masyarakat Melayu khususnya apabila menjelang bulan Ramadan. Namun, mereka yang mengetahui hasil yang dikeluarkan oleh kami, kerap mendapatkannya dari sini," katanya.

Menurutnya, setiap hari sebanyak 30 kilogram ikan puyu perlu disiapkan bagi memenuhi kehendak pengguna. Manakala sebanyak 100 kilogram ikan tilapia merah pula dapat dihasilkan.

Selain itu, ikan keli pula perlu disediakan sebanyak 30 kilogram setiap hari. Ikan lampam turut mendapat perhatian dengan menyediakan  20 kilogram setiap hari.  

Walaupun terpaksa berhempas pulas siang dan malam bagi menyediakan ikan-ikan pekasam itu, Robin dan Wahayu tidak pernah merasa sukar kerana sudah biasa dengan tugasan itu.

Apa yang penting bagi Robin dan isterinya  adalah mendapatkan ikan yang cukup bagi memenuhi kehendak masyarakat.

Oleh itu, mereka turut memelihara  beberapa jenis ikan yang menjadi kegemaran masyarakat dalam takungan di kediaman mereka.

Source:  Sinarharian

Sea Survival

SEASHORES

Search planes or ships do not always spot a drifting raft or swimmer. You may have to land along the coast before being rescued. Surviving along the seashore is different from open sea survival. Food and water are more abundant and shelter is obviously easier to locate and construct.
If you are in friendly territory and decide to travel, it is better to move along the coast than to go inland. Do not leave the coast except to avoid obstacles (swamps and cliffs) or unless you find a trail that you know leads to human habitation.
In time of war, remember that the enemy patrols most coastlines. These patrols may cause problems for you if you land on a hostile shore. You will have extremely limited travel options in this situation. Avoid all contact with other humans, and make every effort to cover all tracks you leave on the shore.

 

Special Health Hazards

Coral, poisonous and aggressive fish, crocodiles, sea urchins, sea biscuits, sponges, anemones, and tides and undertow pose special health hazards.
Coral


Coral, dead or alive, can inflict painful cuts. There are hundreds of water hazards that can cause deep puncture wounds, severe bleeding, and the danger of infection. Clean all coral cuts thoroughly. Do not use iodine to disinfect any coral cuts. Some coral polyps feed on iodine and may grow inside your flesh if you use iodine.


Poisonous Fish


Many reef fish have toxic flesh. For some species, the flesh is always poisonous, for other species, only at certain times of the year. The poisons are present in all parts of the fish, but especially in the liver, intestines, and eggs.
Fish toxins are water soluble--no amount of cooking will neutralize them. They are tasteless, therefore the standard edibility tests are use-less. Birds are least susceptible to the poisons. Therefore, do not think that because a bird can eat a fish, it is a safe species for you to eat.
The toxins will produce a numbness of the lips, tongue, toes, and tips of the fingers, severe itching, and a clear reversal of temperature sensations. Cold items appear hot and hot items cold. There will probably also be nausea, vomiting, loss of speech, dizziness, and a paralysis that eventually brings death.
In addition to fish with poisonous flesh, there are those that are dangerous to touch. Many stingrays have a poisonous barb in their tail. There are also species that can deliver an electric shock. Some reef fish, such as stonefish and toadfish, have venomous spines that can cause very painful although seldom fatal injuries. The venom from these spines causes a burning sensation or even an agonizing pain that is out of proportion to the apparent severity of the wound. Jellyfish, while not usually fatal, can inflict a very painful sting if it touches you with its tentacles. See Chapter 11 and Appendix F for details on particularly dangerous fish of the sea and seashore.


Aggressive Fish


You should also avoid some ferocious fish. The bold and inquisitive barracuda has attacked men wearing shiny objects. It may charge lights or shiny objects at night. The sea bass, which can grow to 1.7 meters, is another fish to avoid. The moray eel, which has many sharp teeth and grows to 1.5 meters, can also be aggressive if disturbed.


Sea Snakes


Sea snakes are venomous and sometimes found in mid ocean. They are unlikely to bite unless provoked. Avoid them.


Crocodiles


Crocodiles inhabit tropical saltwater bays and mangrove-bordered estuaries and range up to 65 kilometers into the open sea. Few remain near inhabited areas. You commonly find crocodiles in the remote areas of the East Indies and Southeast Asia. Consider specimens over 1 meter long dangerous, especially females guarding their nests. Crocodile meat is an excellent source of food when available.


Sea Urchins, Sea Biscuits, Sponges, and Anemones


These animals can cause extreme, though seldom fatal, pain. Usually found in tropical shallow water near coral formations, sea urchins resemble small, round porcupines. If stepped on, they slip fine needles of lime or silica into the skin, where they break off and fester. If possible, remove the spines and treat the injury for infection. The other animals mentioned inflict injury similarly.


Tides and Undertow


These are another hazard to contend with. If caught in a large wave's undertow, push off the bottom or swim to the surface and proceed shoreward in a trough between waves. Do not fight against the pull of the undertow. Swim with it or perpendicular to it until it loses strength, then swim for shore.

Food

Obtaining food along a seashore should not present a problem. There are many types of seaweed and other plants you can easily find and eat. See Chapter 9 and Appendix B for a discussion of these plants.
There is a great variety of animal life that can supply your need for food in this type of survival situation.


Mollusks


Mussels, limpets, clams, sea snails, octopuses, squids, and sea slugs are all edible. Shellfish will usually supply most of the protein eaten by coastal survivors. Avoid the blue-ringed octopus and cone shells (described in Chapter 11 and Appendix F). Also beware of "red tides" that make mollusks poisonous. Apply the edibility test on each species before eating.


Worms


Coastal worms are generally edible, but it is better to use them for fish bait. Avoid bristle worms that look like fuzzy caterpillars. Also avoid tubeworms that have sharp-edged tubes. Arrowworms, alias amphioxus, are not true worms. You find them in the sand and are excellent either fresh or dried.


Crabs, Lobsters, and Barnacles


These animals are seldom dangerous to man and are an excellent food source. The pincers of larger crabs or lobsters can crush a man's finger. Many species have spines on their shells, making it preferable to wear gloves when catching them. Barnacles can cause scrapes or cuts and are difficult to detach from their anchor, but the larger species are an excellent food source.


Sea Urchins


These are common and can cause painful injuries when stepped on or touched. They are also a good source of food. Handle them with gloves, and remove all spines.


Sea Cucumbers


This animal is an important food source in the Indo-Pacific regions. Use them whole after evisceration or remove the five muscular strips that run the length of its body. Eat them smoked, pickled, or cooked.

Source:  Wilderness-survival

Mekong Dams Threaten Extinction of Giant Catfish

By Joshua Lipes
2013-06-19

   

    

In a file photo, Cambodians release a Mekong giant catfish into the wild in Phnom Penh.

AFP

Dams across the mainstream of Southeast Asia’s lower Mekong River, such as the Xayaburi dam under construction in northern Laos, could drive the waterway’s endangered giant catfish to extinction, a wildlife protection group said Thursday.

The elusive Mekong giant catfish, which the U.S.-based World Wildlife Fund (WWF) called “one of the world’s largest and rarest freshwater fish,” can reach up to three meters (10 feet) and weigh up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds).

The Xayaburi dam would prove an “impassable barrier” for the migratory catfish, which is believed to only exist in numbers of up to a couple hundred, WWF said in a statement based on the findings of a new study.

“A fish the size of a Mekong giant catfish simply will not be able to swim across a large barrier like a dam to reach its spawning grounds upstream,” said Zeb Hogan, the study’s author and associate research professor at the University of Nevada.

“These river titans need large, uninterrupted stretches of water to migrate, and specific water quality and flow conditions to move through their lifecycles of spawning, eating and breeding.”

The giant catfish is already in “steep decline” due to overfishing, habitat destruction and dams along the Mekong’s tributaries, the WWF said, adding that the Xayaburi dam could “disrupt and even block spawning, and increase mortality if the fish pass through dam turbines.”

“It’s likely the Mekong giant catfish use the stretch of river of the Xayaburi dam as a migration corridor, with adult fish likely passing through this area on their migration from floodplain rearing areas to upstream spawning sites,” Hogan said.

“It is also possible the giant catfish spawn in the area where the dam is now located.”

Dam controversy

Construction on the controversial U.S. $3.5 billion dam, which will be the first across the main stem of Southeast Asia’s key waterway, resumed last year following delays amid objections from Laos’s neighbors.

The dam’s construction is still in its early stages, with officials saying in March that about 8 percent had been completed.

The dam has come under criticism for what some groups have said are significant gaps in data about its potential socio-economic and environmental impact, particularly in terms of how it will affect fish populations in the Mekong.

Finnish consulting firm Poyry Group, which had published a glowing assessment of the dam’s impact, had said that “fish passages” can be built into the Xayaburi to allow fish to get past the dam’s turbines while swimming up and down the Mekong, but WWF said that the claim has never been successfully put into practice.

“You can’t expect fish ladders to work without understanding your target species, their swimming capabilities, and the water current that will attract these fish toward the pass entrance,” said Eric Baran of the World Fish Centre.

“Research is still needed to ensure mitigation efforts will work.”

An earlier study had recommended a 10-year moratorium on all Mekong mainstream dams due to a need for further research on their potentially catastrophic impact.

Dropping numbers

Mekong giant catfish were once widely distributed through the Mekong river basin, possibly as far as Myanmar and southwestern China, and were relatively abundant up until the early 1900s.

But WWF said that their numbers have since plummeted and the species is now limited to the Mekong and its tributaries in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.

Catch figures have dropped from thousands of fish in the late 1880s, to dozens in the 1990s, and only a few in recent times.

Thailand, Laos and Cambodia regulate fishing for the giant catfish, with bans in place in Thailand and Cambodia, but the species is still fished illegally and accidentally in fisheries targeting other species.

“Catches should be monitored to ensure that Mekong giant catfish are not being illegally targeted by fishers,” University of Nevada’s Hogan said.

“Incidental catch should also be monitored since it is one of the best and only sources of information about the distribution, life history and abundance of this river giant.”

WWF recommended several measures to prevent the giant catfish’s disappearance, including the urgent protection of its migratory corridors and habitat, as well as increased international cooperation, since the species occurs in an international river and crosses country borders to complete its life cycle.

“The Mekong giant catfish symbolizes the ecological integrity of the Mekong River because the species is so vulnerable to fishing pressure and changes in the river environment,” said Dr. Lifeng Li, director of WWF’s Global Freshwater Programme.

“Its status is an indicator of the health of the entire river, and its recovery is an important part of the sustainable management of the Mekong basin,” he said.

“The Mekong giant catfish can be saved, but it will take a level of commitment from all lower Mekong countries, as well as international organizations and donors, that currently does not exist.”


Full Article:  RFA

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Tips - Persiapan Memancing

 

Dalam dunia memancing, kita perlu tahu apakah persiapan sebelum pergi memancing. Segala kelengkapan perlu disediakan agar tidak timbul masalah semasa pergi memancing. Persiapan yang perlu dilakukan bukan sekadar mempunyai joran dan umpan yang baik tetapi juga keperluan lain. Keperluan ini tidak kurang pentingnya sebab tanpa keperluan-keperluan ini ia akan menimbulkan masalah kepada para pemancing.

Ini yang dapat membezakan antara pemancing yang berpengalaman dan tidak berpengalaman, antara pemancing berilmu ataupun kurang berilmu. Persediaan fizikal dan mental juga penting dalam memancing. Mari kita lihat apakah peralatan yang diperlukan sebelum kita turun memancing.

Peralatan seperti berikut :

Kelengkapan alat untuk memancing

Peralatan yang paling asas bagi seorang pemancing adalah joran dan mata kail. Tambahan kepada itu adalah umpan, enjin, minyak enjin dan sauh. Enjin, minyak dan sauh diperlukan bagi orang yang ingin memancing di tengah laut dan sungai. Joran, mata kail dan umpan pula berbeza bergantung kepada ikan yang ingin ditangkap.

Jaket keselamatan

Jaket keselamatan perlu ada untuk tujuan keselamatan terutama pada orang yang tidak tahu berenang. Walaupun seseorang itu berkemahiran berenang skalipun jika bermancing di kawasan berombak besar mungkin akan menyebabkan seseorang itu paning dan lemas. Adalah baiknya jika dipakaikan jaket keselamatan ini kerana malang tidak berbau.

Makanan dan minuman

Bekalan makan dan minum. Ini salah satu peralatan peting sewaktu memancing di laut misalnya kerana penhaidratan air dari tubuh badan akan berlaku maka seseorang pemancing itu perlu minum banyak air bagi mengelak dari berlaku gejala ptam dan sebagainya. Makanan dan minuman ringan ini mampu memberikan tenaga segera. Oleh itu jangan lupa membawanya.

Baju Hujan

Baju hujan digunakan untuk melindungi diri dari hujan. Kesejukan akibat hujan boleh menyebabkan badan terasa lemah dan mengalami hiportemia ataupun kesejukan terlampau yang boleh menyebabkan kekejangan ataupun pengsan.

Baju lengan panjang

Baju labuh atau bertangan panjang bagi melindungi diri dari panas, gigitan nyamuk dan agas.

Topi

Topi bagi berteduh daripada panas dan hujan. Gunakan topi yang bersesuai untuk acara memancing agar ia lebih memberi keselesaan kepada para pemancing.

Ubat-ubatan

Ubat-ubatan bagi kecemasan ataupun berasa kurang selesa. Ia perlu ada bagi setiap orang pemancing.

Tali

Tali bagi tujuan khas, digunakan untuk memanjangkan tali sauh atau digunakan untuk tujuan penyelamatan

Pisau

Pisau ataupun parang. Ini penting bagi mempertahankan diri. Boleh digunakan untuk membuang mata kail ynag terlekat pada ikan yang berduri ataupun memotong ekor ikan pari yang berbisa. Simpan di tempat yang selamat dan jahui daripada kena-kanak. 

 Sarung tangan

Walaupun nampak remeh tetapi banyak kegunaannya. Perlu untuk menarik tali pancing yang tersangkut, untuk dibuat lap tangan yang kotor dan banyak lagi.

Wisel

Wisel untuk kecemasan (termasuk jika ingin memohon bantuan jika engin rosak ataupon sedang terapong bersama life jaket. Tiupan wisel boleh menarik perhatian kaki pancing yang lain untuk datang menyelamatkan mangsa

Beg Kalis AIr

Beg kalis air sebagai tempat meletak beg serta barang pancing jika hujan. Ia boleh melindungi peralatan elektronik seperti jam tangan, telefon bimbit, manual sonar, radio dll dari terkena hujan. Dinasihatkan agar mngurangkan penggunaan plastik kerana amalan mesra alam perlu ada pada seseorang pemancing itu.

Coleman

 

 Ini penting sebagai tempat mengisi hasil tangkapan.

Lampu suluh dan ubat nyamuk

Lampu suluh, lampu ayam dan ubat nyamuk jika ingin memancing malam. Ini semuanya perlatan asas bagi memancing.

Banyak bukan? Nampak macam mudah sahaja pergi memancing, namun begitu apabila salah satu peralatan tidak disertakan mungkin menimbulkan masalah tertentu. Ini yang orang katakan “Kalau ingin memancing, buat cara hendak memancing.”

Persediaan sebelum memancing amat penting bagi menghasilkan suasana memancing yang kondusif yang akan memberikan pulngan yang selesa dan lumayan tanpa dipengaruhi oleh masalah-masalah yang remeh temeh dalam situsai memancing. Sekian terima kasih.

 

 

Source:  Hambaallah