ECOTOURISM
RANAU, Sabah: The Tagal system, introduced in 2001, was originally an attempt to conserve the environment but has transformed the Moroli River in Kampung Luanti here into a natural fish spa and popular ecotourism attraction.
Through the initiative, villagers worked together to conserve the river and built their skill in rearing fish which would give visitors massage sensation through ‘friendly’ bites.
In the local Kadazandusun dialect, ‘tagal’ means not allowed to fish and the main purpose of the Tagal system is to conserve the environment and the ecosystem of the river for the benefit of future generations.
The project is similar to the Tagang system implemented by the Sarawak Agriculture Department in several rivers of the state.
“These fish are specially trained by the villagers to carry out treatment (massage),” said Kampung Luanti chief Rusliah Mohd Mazlie.
The 63-year-old grandmother said the fish sequence is believed to cure psoriasis.
“Always come to Kampung Luanti for a fish massage, you will have smoother skin, like baby skin,” she said jokingly.
According to Rusliah, each month the village earns up to RM20,000, and even more during school holidays when more visitors come to see the fish and to have foot massage.
Each visitor is charged RM5, while foreign tourists are charged RM10 per person.
The writer interviewed Rusliah when he led a group of Semadang International Tagang Festival officials and volunteers from Kampung Semadang in Sarawak to Kampung Luanti recently to see firsthand how the Tagal system in Sabah is being managed as a source of income for the villagers.
Kampung Semadang, located in Penrissen area, about 40 kilometres from Kuching City, is one of the villages in Sarawak involved in the Tagang system programme since 2007 implemented in the Semadang River.
The Tagal system is a source of income for the village’s cooperative, as well as for those enterprising villagers who operate homestays and those operating food and drink stalls to cater for visitors’ needs.
A worker at Kampung Luanti Tagal system, Alex Saudin, 34, said during school holidays more than 1, 000 people would visit the village each day.
Andrew Luang, who sells barbequed chicken wings, said he makes good sales during school holidays.
