Thousands of arowanas were released into creeks and ditches around the Layang and Simpang Renggam areas after the ponds in which they were reared gave way.

Bernama reported that the fish breeder, Ng Ah Phau, said today he had suffered losses of “around millions of ringgit” when some 15,000 arowanas, reared for 30 years, escaped when the ponds broke. The fish were reared in 13 ponds in Kampung Tengah, Renggam, near Kluang.

Arowanas, prized for their strength and beauty, can fetch thousands of ringgit each. The arowana, sometimes called the dragon fish in Chinese, is said to bring luck and fortune. The ornamental fish, with gold and white scales, weigh about 2kg.

Earlier today, the chairman of Renggam A Rukun Tetangga, A Sani Palal, said the villagers were unable to return the fishes as they do not know the real owner.

He said the villagers hoped that they would be forgiven for consuming some of the fishes, at a communal feast, which went viral on social media.

He also said the residents hoped there would be some form of compensation for returning the surviving fishes.

Johor executive councillor Fared Khalid advised the villagers to return the fishes to their rightful owner.

However, Ng said it would be impossible to get back the 15,000 to 18,000 fishes because it was a complicated process. He hoped no one would blame or threaten the nearby villagers over the matter.

He urged the authorities to conduct an immediate investigation into the collapse of the fish ponds, which he said was “probably caused by certain infrastructure construction work”.

He said he had lodged a police report and would take legal action.