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GEORGETOWN: The famous Prangin Canal alongside Sia Boey became an instant tourist attraction after photos of the canal teeming with clear water and koi fish went viral last year.
Fast forward today, the public park surrounding the market and canal is still a picturesque park, but without its usual fuss due to the motion control order.
However, the beautiful koi fish are threatened, not thanks to those who fed them.
According to the state government appointed canal maintenance contractor Richard Yee, the fish were intended to feed on the algae that grows on the canal walls.
Unfortunately, due to public patronage, the overfed koi have lost interest in their initial food source.
This has caused the algae to overgrow, which in excess could reduce oxygen levels in the water, thus endangering aquatic life in the canal.
Komtar Assemblyman Teh Lai Heng said it cost the Penang government 18,500 RM to clear the canal from the swollen algae.
He said the canal fish had to be “quarantined” elsewhere while restoration efforts were under way.
In addition to contributing to the rapid growth of the koi fish colony, Teh said the public had inadvertently altered the ecosystem in other ways as well.
“The local community also introduced new species, namely skates and tilapia, into the canal,” he said.
Teh added that the resulting sludge, which consists of fish excretion and algal blooms, needed manual effort to clean it up.
“Usually we need to clean the canal once every two or three years. If this situation persists, we will have to clean it every two years ”.
Teh said posters will be put up to warn the public against feeding the fish or introducing new species into the canal.
