A THREADS post featuring brightly coloured fish eaten during a visit to Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, has prompted discussion among Malaysians over whether the species is sold locally and whether it should be consumed.

Shared by user @firdausi_68, the post showed several colourful fish and asked whether the green fish was available in Malaysia, adding that it tasted surprisingly good.

One commenter cautioned against catching or eating the fish, saying they played an important role in protecting coral reefs.

The fish appear to be parrotfish, from the Scaridae family, known locally as ikan bayan. They graze on algae growing on coral, helping to prevent it from spreading and competing with corals for space. They also contribute to sandy beach formation by breaking down limestone as they feed, with some studies estimating that large parrotfish can produce between 90kg and 450kg of sand annually.