MUKAH: This district is famous for its sweet and scrumptious fresh fish which can be obtained daily.
Whether it is a myth or coincidence, after the Melanau community holds the Kaul Festival, this town will see the landing of large amounts of fresh fish at the wet market.
According to Melanau culture, the Kaul celebration is a ritual to express gratitude and seek help from the ipok-ipok (spirit) to ensure that the land and sea will be bestowed with continuous sustenance every year.
The Kaul festival is celebrated annually in April during the transition period of the monsoon season.
A boat parade to the beach will be held for the ipok-ipok to express gratitude and request for the provision of sustenance.
Regardless of whether the matters are related or not, this town always has plenty of seafood.
During the hot season, the fishermen’s catch would increase due to the calm sea which also enables smaller boats to go to the deeper areas.
Local fishermen are a highly respected lot because they would go out to sea even during the monsoon season in their small boats when the sea is rough.
On a brighter note, the price of fish caught during the monsoon season would increase significantly compared to during the hot weather due to low supply and high demand.
The phenomenon of tamban fish, geragau prawns or bibok, shrimps or payak as well as yellowtailed scad fish usually occurs during the hot weather.
Yellowtailed scad and tamban fish are very popular and as a result are a little bit pricey, especially when they are caught in panau trawl instead of a tangsi or tunda trawl.
When the sea’s resources are abundant, the price will decrease because the demand is lower than the catch.
Normally the tamban and yellowtailed scad fish are very popular here from April to October.
Fresh fish from the sea here such as pirang (setipinna taty), bawal (pomfret), tenggiri (Spanish mackerel) and terubok (toli shad) are usually produced into umai which is eaten raw similar to Japanese sushi.
Although the price of fish here can soar during certain periods, the wet market continues to attract fish buyers.
The deliciousness of fish from Mukah waters is not only enjoyed by the locals but also by visitors from Sibu, Selangau, Kanowit and even Brunei.
Mukah’s fresh fish stocks are always available even during the monsoon and festive seasons.
