| In Tabin there are 9 families of fish with 29 species recorded so far. Examples include Nemacheilus olivaceus, Rasbora sumatrana, Gastromyzon spp. and Hampala macrolopedata (top to bottom at right). The upper reaches of the Tabin River, has been found to have an abundance of fish and many of these attain a large size. Other rivers with good populations of fish are the Lumpongon, Tagas-Tagas, Lumeru and Kapur rivers. By number about 55% of the in Tabin are cyprinids and some of these can grow to a large size. The river carp Tor douronensis (locally known as “belian”) can attain a length of up to 40 cm. and a weight of more than 10 kg. Cyprinids can be found in both shallow and deep water. Most of the fishes of Tabin are of economic value as ornamental and/or as food fishes. Some cyprinid species are staple foods along a the rivers of Borneo (e.g. the jungle perch shown in the photograph below, right). Most of the species listed here can be found on the lists of aquarium fish distributors around the world. If you wish to see images and read more about these species you can rapidly gain access by entering their names into Google’s search box and scanning for images and web content. Useful reference books concerning the fishes of Borneo include Inger & Chin’s The Freshwater Fishes of North Borneo (1990) and Roberts The Freshwater Fishes of Western Borneo (Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia) (1989). Limited fishing is allowed with hook and line in some areas of Tabin. |
