‘Ngoca’ ikan, or fish noodling, where participants wallow around in the mud trying to catch fish with their bare hands, can actually be a unique and exciting experience for the current generation of youth, who are more accustomed to gadgets for their entertainment.
When the Kampung Kuala Sungga village development and safety committee decided to hold a ngoca ikan programme in conjunction with the Aidilfitri celebrations recently, local resident, Nazaliza Mat Nazri, 37, jumped at the chance to let her two children join in the fun and experience the traditional way of catching fish, just as she had done in her childhood.
“This event isn’t always held so when there is a chance, we can let them join in and experience such a new and rare activity firsthand.
“If their clothes get dirty, we can wash them, what’s important is they have fun and play with their peers,” she told reporters at the event, held at a canal at Kampung Kuala Sungga, Tebong here today.
About 200 participants of all ages decided to try their hand at the fish noodling event, and one young participant, Ahmad Zawawi Zulkifli, 11, said that he felt excited to be able to experience catching fresh water fish like fighting fish and catfish with his bare hands.
Another participant, Muhammad Irfan Firdaus Ambia, nine, said although he had to wade through mud he was happy to be able to catch fish together with the villagers and make new friends.
Meanwhile, plantation worker Kholiq Ahmad Tohir, 31, who walked away with the event’s main prize, shared that he would go out fish noodling in the area during his free time as it was his hobby.
The Indonesian, who hails from Tanah Jawa, said that he won first prize after managing to catch a four-kilogramme catfish with his hands after spending a half hour looking around at the banks of the canal.
“In my own village we used to do such fishing events, so I do feel happy to be able to join in, and the villagers do welcome me to catch fish with them,” he said.
Melaka Health, Human Resources and Unity Committee chairman Ngwe Hee Sem said the fish noodling programme could be considered as an annual programme to ensure this traditional activity would not be forgotten by future generations.
“Ngoca ikan, or noodling for fish together in rivers, canals or ponds do seem to bring the community together and create harmony and I do encourage this programme to held in the future,” he added.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency