Rubber tapper couple turns fish monger during monsoon season

PASIR MAS: The monsoon season is the most unfavourable time of the year for most rubber tappers, but for rubber tapper couple Nazita Hamat, 49, and his wife, Siti Noor Hanafi, it is when they “make money”.

Comes the monsoon season, the couple turns into fish mongers.

“The monsoon season is the time for us to generate extra income of by selling freshwater fish,” said Siti Noor, 46, when met at her fish stall along Jalan Pasir Mas-Rantau Panjang, near here.

She said the family was able to earn RM500 daily through sales of between 200 and 300 kg of freshwater fish.

Siti Noor said she and her husband started selling freshwater fish during the monsoon season since 10 years ago, and now their sons, Muhammad Farhan Asri, 16, and Muhammad Fitri, 15, helped them at the stall.

“We choose to sell freshwater fish because the fish is in abundance during the monsoon season, which is between November and January,” she said, adding that the family obtained their fish supply from 50 suppliers, comprising residents in the Pasir Mas district.

She said the sought after freshwater fish included patin sungai, baung, toman galang, puyu, keli, tapah, lampan and tenggalang, which are more expensive than the normal fish caught by deep sea fishermen.

“The most expensive (freshwater) fish at our stall is tenggalang, which is RM80 per kg. The fish is only found during the monsoon season,” she added.

To ensure the quality and satisfy her customers, Siti Noor and her husband always ensure that the fish they obtained from their suppliers are not caught using electric shock or through electric fishing.

"A fish that is not caught using electric shock can be determined by throwing a live fish on a surface, if it curls, then it is caught using electric shock,” she added.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Ariffin, 54, who is Siti Noor’s regular customer, said he travelled on alternate days from Kota Bharu to Pasir Mas to buy freshwater fish at Siti Noor’s stall.

“My family likes to eat freshwater fish and the fish at Siti Noor’s stall is always fresh,” he said.

-- BERNAMA