Perak science, environment and green technology committee chairman Teh Kok Lim said the dead fish were definitely not in their natural habitat, Bernama reported.

He said an investigation jointly conducted by the environment department and the state fisheries department found that the fish most likely came from a fish farm.

“The dead fish appeared to be uniform (in size and colour) and were not wild river fish. We suspect they were dumped in Sungai Kinta and did not die naturally due to pollution.

“Water quality test results carried out by the environment department showed readings within a good range, with no signs of pollution that could have caused the sudden death of aquatic life,” he told reporters after launching the Perak fisheries department’s alien fish hunting programme at Taman DR Seenivasagam in Ipoh today.

Perak fisheries department director Ghazali Manap said immediate action had been taken to remove the dead fish from the area.

“This swift action was crucial to prevent secondary pollution and minimise the impact on other aquatic life,” he said.

He said investigations are ongoing to identify the individuals or parties involved in the incident.