Peat swamp paper

Post by **Silurus** » 02 Oct 2003, 15:29

William, F., H. Beamish, R. B. Beamish & S. L.-H. Lim, 2003. Fish assemblages and habitat in a Malaysian blackwater peat swamp. Environmental Biology of Fishes 68: 1-13.

This paper describes the peat swamp habitat in some detail. Fish fauna and water parameters are provided. Useful information for setting up a biotope tank.

Contact me for details.

JohnnyOscar · Post by **JohnnyOscar** » 02 Oct 2003, 22:13

I would be VERY interested to read that paper.

I fished an abandoned and semi-derelict fish farm in Sumatra every day for several months back in 1996/7. I've been planning to replicate some of it in my living room for a while now, but have found it hard to find good info.

On a side note, I've found a list of fish species on the internet that are found in my old haunts in Sumatra but I can't find any info on some of the fishes. Some of them are catfish, some of them are not. Would anyone here have the patience to help me make sense of the list?

Terimah kasih,
JohnnyOscar

Post by **Silurus** » 02 Oct 2003, 22:25

I should be able to help (off forum, of course).

I am leaving for Sumatra in December for a spot of collecting anyways. Be good to be back there after an absence of six years.

JohnnyOscar · Post by **JohnnyOscar** » 02 Oct 2003, 22:48

I'm so jealous. Where are you going? What are you collecting?

Six years, eh? That's when I was last there.

Selamat jalan,
JohnnyOscar

PS: how do I contact you "off forum"?

Post by **Silurus** » 03 Oct 2003, 00:12

Where are you going?

Jambi-Padang-Nias (a very rough itinerary)

What are you collecting?

Anything that swims basically. 'course this also means going to the pasar to purchase ikan.

how do I contact you "off forum"?

That's what email and the private message system on the forums are for.

JohnnyOscar · Post by **JohnnyOscar** » 03 Oct 2003, 18:03

A fishy anecdote from Sumatra:

Back in 1992, in the third week of my first visit to Sumatra, I found myself near Teluk Dalam, Nias Island. I was making great headway with the language and wanted to practice with someone. I watched a fishing boat come ashore and the fisherman fix a few tuna and red snappers to a yoke around his neck then walk in my direction. Perfect...

I decided on a red snapper, but didn't know the word for it, so I tried to ask for "the red one" (yang merah). Unfortunately for the poor fisherman I got the word for "red" wrong. I said "yang murah" instead of "yang merah". "Yang murah" means "the cheap one". He looked a bit surprised, but offered me a tuna and told me "this is 'red', it's only Rph2,000". He then pointed to the red snapper and set something I couldn't understand, follwed by "this one's Rph3,000". Now I was confused: the tuna wasn't red, it was blue/silver. So I pointed to the red snapper and made the same error: "No, I wan't the 'cheap' one". "This is the 'red' one," he insisted, offering me the tuna again. He was starting to look at me as I was mad. "No, I don't want the blue one, I want the 'cheap' one," I insisted. "OK, it's yours for 2,000Rph," he eventually conceded.

Unfortunately for this poor fisherman (who was the first non-English-speaking Indonesian I had dealt with since I arrived) I thought he was trying to rip me off, so I haggled a bit more. "I want the 'cheap' one for Rph1,500". He looked at me like a was a lunatic and said "OK then, it's yours for Rph1,500." I couldn't understand what he muttered as he walked off.

I then gave the fish to the woman who ran the guesthouse where I was staying. "How much did you get this for?" she asked. "Rph1,500," I said. "LIAR" she cried. "You can't get red snapper this big for less than Rph2,000..."

Just thought I'd share this with y'all.

Cheers,
JohnnyOscar