Shahril Yeop Mat Sibi checking a traditional 'belat' trap in the Kinta River as rising water brings schools of catfish upstream. (Bernama pic)TELUK INTAN: When the Kinta River begins to rise during the rainy season, Anuar Osman knows there is little time to waste.
For about a week, schools of "lundu" - a type of catfish - move through the river in large numbers, creating a short but lucrative fishing season for those who know where to place their traps.
Anuar, 49, is an inland fisherman who also manages an oil palm smallholding. Catching lundu is not his main livelihood but, when the river swells, the opportunity can be hard to ignore: on a good day, catches can exceed 100kg.
“When we see the water rising, we have to quickly set the 'belat' because the fish only come in for about a week,” he said, noting that they "retire" from catching them once the river drops.
