The 'fish listener': a Malaysian profession in danger of extinction
There are bird watchers and there are also 'fish listeners'. It's a long step from 'bird watchers' to 'fish listeners', if only because everyone thinks fish are dumb. But this is not the opinion of Harun Muhammad. The old fisherman dives and, with his eyes and ears open, listens to the voice of the fish in the lagoon of Setiu - east coast of Malaysia. He is looking for the 'sound signature' of gelama, a highly prized type of fish, which is increasingly difficult to find due to the excessive exploitation of fish resources in the coastal waters of the peninsula. When he finds it, he directs the boat and nets to the area he spots. Harun is one of the last 'fish listeners'. He and his apprentice – his son Zuraini – are reputed to be the last practitioners of this mysterious and arcane profession. Fish wholesalers tell 68-year-old Harun: when you leave, there will be no more gelama (which sells for 10 times more than fish of a similar size). It's hard to describe the sound, says Harun: it's a bit like dropping a pebble into water.
I Malaysians they are big consumers of fish: they eat an average of 56 kilos a year, even more than the Japanese (the world average is 20 kilos).
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/art/lifestyle/2014/08/20/415290/p1/Disquieting-times.htm
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