In Malaysia, aquaculture showed a significant increase from less than 80,000 MT in 1992 to more than 427, 000 MT in 2017, valued at MYR 3 billion. According to the Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA), aquaculture and fisheries could generate up to 44,000 new jobs for the people of Sarawak by 2030, adding USD800 million to GDP. Forecasts show that Sarawak’s current aquaculture production of just over 11,500 MT a year has the potential to increase by a factor of 25 to hit 300,000 MT a year by 2030. Based on the annual fisheries statistics, the total number of freshwater aquaculturists in Sarawak is about 24% of Malaysia’s total aquaculturists in 2021 . Furthermore, Sarawak recorded the second-highest production through aquaculture in Malaysia after Sabah in 2021 . One way to improve the aquaculture sector sustainably is to develop the human capacity to have a strong knowledge of aquaculture management. Therefore, universities can play an important role in developing sustainable aquaculture in Sarawak.
Curtin University Malaysia has been conducting a significant aquaculture program since early 2021, comprising teaching and research into the establishment of Sarawak’s first major aquaculture research facility . The journey begins with free webinars titled "Aquaculture in Sarawak: Challenges and Opportunities" and "Challenges and Opportunities of Aquaculture in Malaysia and Indonesia" featuring aquaculture experts from Curtin University in Perth, the Sarawak Department of Agriculture and Sarawak Regional Fisheries Biosecurity Centre, the Department of Fisheries Malaysia, the Aquaculture Laboratory at Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia, and Indonesia’s Agency for Marine and Fisheries R&D.
Photo 1 & 2: Posters of the Webinars. Photo 3: The Soft Launching of CA
Curtin University Malaysia will launch a two-year Master of Science in Sustainable Aquaculture course, focusing on aquaculture principles and factors affecting aquatic animal farming and food production systems.