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One of the oldest reservoirs in Peninsular Malaysia, Bukit Merah Reservoir, is a place in which locals participate in fishing activities. Inland fisheries are important to individuals, society and the environment; whereby they generate a source of income and food security. It is essential to gauge the nutrition value of fish caught in this location as food source, especially in terms of fatty acid composition, to better demonstrate its potential towards the betterment of human health and general well-being. From an initial list of 47 fish species available in Bukit Merah Reservoir, a total of seven edible freshwater fish species were identified, namely tinfoil barb (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii), Javanese barb (Barbonymus gonionotus), hampala barb (Hampala macrolepidota), beardless barb (Cyclocheilichthys apogon), glassfish (Oxygaster anomalura), striped snakehead (Channa striata) and horseface loach (Acantopsis dialuzona), and muscle fatty acid content was analysed to determine their nutritional value. Muscle of cyprinid fish contained substantial amount of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) compared to fish from Channidae and Cobitidae families. Javanese and tinfoil barbs muscle recorded the highest levels of combined eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) indicating the highest nutritional value comparatively. Unexpectedly, the striped snakehead, a predatory carnivore, contained lower levels of LC-PUFA compared to detrivorous/ herbivorous fishes. This further justifies that the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content in fish muscle varies according to their feeding habits. Even though it has been recommended that marine fish be consumed to improve health to a certain extent, there still are benefits of consuming freshwater fish, as there are several species which contain considerable amounts of beneficial omega-3 PUFA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal changes of freshwater fish assemblages and environmental factors in Bukit Merah Reservoir were carried out from January-February 2013 (dry season) to March-April 2013 (wet season) by measuring several physico-chemical parameters such as dissolved oxygen (DO), water temperature, pH, water conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS) and water clarity. Nineteen fish species comprising of ten families were collected by using experimental gill nets with different mesh sizes at four different sampling stations. Mean CPUE for total catch and biomass were significantly different between dry and wet season (p < 0.05). Based on a T-test analysis, water temperature, pH and conductivity were significantly different (p < 0.05) between seasons while there were only TDS and water clarity had significantly different between sampling stations (p < 0.05) from one-way ANOVA, implicating that those factors did not give major influence towards other parameters in a man-made reservoir. From all fish species studied, only mean CPUE for individuals (CPUEn) of Osteochilus vittatus and Oxygaster anomalura had significantly different between seasons (p < 0.05) probably an indicator of their migration season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]