Malaysia’s wild fish catch is stagnating while aquaculture surges, says new report

WorldFish

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Aquatic foods are vital to Malaysia’s food security, nutrition, economy, and livelihoods—with both capture fisheries and aquaculture playing central roles. However, the sector is currently at a critical juncture. A new study shows that despite its critical role, capture fisheries  has stalled while farmed fish and seaweed are now driving growth. 

The study published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems is authored by scientists from WorldFish, the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies, and the School of Biological Sciences at Universiti Sains Malaysia, and the Institute for Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo.  

It finds that overfishing, habitat loss and challenging governance and market environments  have pushed capture fisheries to the limit. In 2022 wild-caught fish still made up 69% of Malaysia’s total fish production but output has remained flat.  

In contrast, aquaculture which includes farmed fish, shrimp and seaweed contributed up to 30% and continues to expand. 

Malaysia’s seaweed farming sector is now the single largest component of aquaculture, making up more than half of total farmed output. This low-cost low-impact system has quietly become one of the country’s most promising blue economy success stories. 

Co-author, Dr Cristiano Rossignoli, Research Lead at WorldFish said Malaysia’s aquatic food systems are facing both risk and opportunity.  

“Aquaculture in Malaysia still faces key sustainability challenges. However, it holds great potential to meet the growing demand for aquatic foods, especially as wild fisheries stagnate. To unlock this potential, smallholders must be supported to adopt sustainable practices,” he said.  

The study highlights the challenging to fisheries and aquaculture in Malaysia. They face rising costs, limited access to hatcheries, poor cold storage and processing facilities,  complex regulatory processes, and environmental vulnerability. Many are being squeezed out of the sector altogether. 

Co-author, Prof. Aileen Tan, Director of the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia, said the findings underscore the urgent need to adapt to shifting dynamics in the sector. 

“This research provides important evidence that Malaysia’s aquatic food sector is undergoing a structural shift. As wild fish production plateaus it is essential to strengthen support for sustainable aquaculture especially for small-scale producers who are key to the sector’s future resilience,” she said. 

Malaysia’s fish self-sufficiency rate has dropped from 93% in 2019 to just over 90% in 2022. While domestic demand for seafood remains high the country is importing more fish than ever before. 

The study calls for major reforms to expand hatchery capacity improve rural infrastructure and support small producers. It also recommends investments in research and development to support innovation, competitiveness and sectoral resilience.  

This research comes as WorldFish marks its 25th year in Malaysia. Since moving its global headquarters to Penang in 2000, WorldFish has worked with government partners, research institutions, and communities to shape more sustainable and inclusive aquatic food systems across Asia. 

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Journal

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

Method of Research

Literature review

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Overview of the fishery and aquaculture sectors in Malaysia

Article Publication Date

15-Apr-2025

 

New giant virus isolated in Jyväskylä for the first time in Finland

University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto

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Images of Jyvaskylavirus. The virus particle is about twice the size of influenza or coronavirus.

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Credit: University of Jyväskylä

For the first time in Finland, researchers at the Nanoscience Center in University of Jyväskylä, Finland, have isolated a giant virus, which was named Jyvaskylavirus. The discovery shows that giant viruses are more common in northern regions than researchers have thought. It also illustrates that there are still many structures whose origins and functions have not been properly studied.   

Viruses are everywhere. Most naturally occurring viruses are harmless to humans and can play an important role in the functioning of ecosystems. In recent years, giant viruses have been discovered that can be as large as bacteria. These viruses infect amoebas and other microscopic organisms. Most of the giant viruses identified so far have been found in Europe and South America, and their life cycles and distribution are poorly understood.  

The Finnish giant virus has French relatives 

The study, initiated at the University of Jyväskylä, is the first to isolate giant viruses from Finland. The giant virus, named Jyvaskylavirus, was discovered when environmental samples were mixed with a culture of amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii. The virus particle is 200 nanometres in diameter, about twice the size of influenza or coronavirus.  

- Through an international collaboration, we elucidated the genome and structure of the Jyvaskylavirus, which was found to be related to Marseilleviruses previously isolated from France. Other new giant viruses were also detected in environmental samples, rejoices professor Lotta-Riina Sundberg from the University of Jyväskylä.  

New giant virus regulates microbial populations in soil 

The finding indicates that giant viruses are more prevalent than thought in soil and water, even in northern environments.  

- The discovery will help to understand the interactions between microbes and the role of viruses in regulating populations of all living organisms, as well as providing new insights into the structure of giant viruses, says Sundberg.  

The study is published in the eLife series. 

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Journal

eLife

DOI

10.7554/eLife.103492.3 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

Genomic and structural insights into Jyvaskylavirus, the first giant virus isolated from Finland

 

Farm robot autonomously navigates, harvests among raised beds

Autonomous driving algorithm for robot using lidar shows promise with high-bed cultivation methods

Osaka Metropolitan University

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A farm robot using lidar shows it can harvest strawberries from a high-bed cultivation field.

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Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University

Strawberry fields forever will exist for the in-demand fruit, but the laborers who do the backbreaking work of harvesting them might continue to dwindle. While raised, high-bed cultivation somewhat eases the manual labor, the need for robots to help harvest strawberries, tomatoes, and other such produce is apparent.

As a first step, Osaka Metropolitan University Assistant Professor Takuya Fujinaga has developed an algorithm for robots to autonomously drive in two modes: moving to a pre-designated destination and moving alongside raised cultivation beds. The Graduate School of Engineering researcher experimented with an agricultural robot that utilizes lidar point cloud data to map the environment.

Lidar, available on some high-end, pro-level smartphones and used by autonomous vehicles, uses light in laser pulses as a remote sensing method. The farming robot can thus move accurately while maintaining a constant distance from the cultivation bed, with its effectiveness verified in virtual and actual environments.

“If robots can move around the farm more precisely, the range of tasks that they can perform automatically will expand, not only for harvesting, but also for monitoring for disease and pruning,” Professor Fujinaga explained. “My research shows a possibility, and once this type of agricultural robot becomes more practical to use, it will make a significant contribution to improving work efficiency and reducing labor, especially for high-bed cultivation.”

The findings were published in Computers and Electronics in Agriculture.

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About OMU 

Established in Osaka as one of the largest public universities in Japan, Osaka Metropolitan University is committed to shaping the future of society through “Convergence of Knowledge” and the promotion of world-class research. For more research news, visit https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/ and follow us on social media: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.

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Journal

Computers and Electronics in Agriculture

DOI

10.1016/j.compag.2025.110001 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Autonomous navigation method for agricultural robots in high-bed cultivation environments

 

A new super metal stands strong, no matter the temperature

Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)

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Tensile properties and microstructure of a Ni-based high entropy alloy exhibiting temperature-insensitive mechanical behavior over a wide temperature range

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Credit: POSTECH

A research team at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology), led by Professor Hyoung Seop Kim from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Graduate Institute of Ferrous Technology, and Department of Mechanical Engineering, has developed a new alloy that maintains its strength and ductility across extreme temperatures ranging from –196 °C to 600 °C. The findings, which have drawn attention from the aerospace and automotive industries, were published in the international journal Materials Research Letters.

 

Most metals used in everyday life are sensitive to temperature changes—metal doorknobs feel icy in winter and scalding in summer. Consequently, conventional metal materials are typically optimized for performance within a narrow temperature range, limiting their effectiveness in environments with dramatic temperature fluctuations

 

To overcome this challenge, the POSTECH research team introduced the concept of the "Hyperadaptor" and developed a nickel-based high-entropy alloy (HEA)’ that embodies this idea.

 

The newly developed HEA demonstrates nearly constant mechanical performance across a wide temperature range—from cryogenic conditions at -196°C (77 K) to high heat at 600°C (873 K). This remarkable stability is attributed to the presence of nanoscale L1₂ precipitates, which are uniformly distributed within the alloy. These fine particles act as reinforcements that inhibit deformation, while the alloy's internal structure accommodates stress through consistent slip behavior, regardless of temperature.

 

This development holds significant promise for applications that involve sudden or extreme temperature changes, such as rocket or jet engines, automotive exhaust systems, power plant turbines, and pipelines. The alloy’s ability to maintain stable performance under such conditions can greatly enhance both safety and efficiency in these demanding environments.

 

“Our HEA breaks through the limitations of existing alloys and establishes a new class of temperature-insensitive materials,” said Professor Kim. “The Hyperadaptor concept represents a breakthrough in developing next-generation materials with consistent mechanical behavior even under extreme conditions.”

The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT through the Nano and Materials Technology Development Program and by Hyundai Motor Group.

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Journal

Materials Research Letters

DOI

10.1080/21663831.2025.2457346 

Article Title

Hyperadaptor; Temperature-insensitive tensile properties of Ni-based high-entropy alloy a wide temperature range

Article Publication Date

6-Feb-2025

Disclaimer: AAAS an

 

A little bit of space on Earth

Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences

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Cosmos studies! Scientists' research is a brick in building a catalog of chemical compounds in space. Photo courtesy of the Warsaw confectionery KOSMOS. Photo courtesy: Grzegorz Krzyzewski

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Credit: Source IPC PAS, Grzegorz Krzyzewski

There is a large diversity in the chemical composition of astronomical objects such as planets, comets, circumstellar envelopes, or galactic gas clouds. One great challenge in astrochemistry is to understand in detail how this diversity arises from the cosmic backdrop of the cycling of matter between star birth and destruction, with molecules forming, reacting and coalescing in cold clouds of dust and ice in between these events.  Trivalent phosphorus, linked to anaerobic conditions on Earth, has also been found in the atmospheres of giant planets and in the distant interstellar medium. Phosphates are present in certain meteorites and on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. How did phosphorus make its way between these environments and ultimately became central to life on Earth? Studying here, in terrestrial laboratories, various properties of unfamiliar molecules that may wander interstellar space is an intriguing path. …a path being followed by scientists from the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences.

 

Humans have always been fascinated by the night sky, looking into the vast expanse of space where stars glitter like distant diamonds, finding inspiration and wondering about their own existence.  This fascination has only grown as our ability to look and even travel into space has advanced. Telescopes, not only ground-based, have been built to peer into the Universe at many different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation. Satellites and other spacecraft have been sent short distances to explore Solar System bodies or even launched with trajectories bound to explore beyond the influence of our own star. The molecules astronomers observe are those that can survive the harsh conditions of the rarefied interstellar medium (ISM) or those that find protection in environments such as dense planetary atmospheres.

 

Unsaturated organic nitriles (molecules terminated with the group -CN) play an important role in the chemistry of ISM. HCN (hydrogen cyanide), HCCN (cyanomethylene), and HCCCN (cyanoacetylene) or vinyl cyanide (CH2CHCN) are the examples of chemical compounds observed in numerous locations, mainly using radio telescopes.  These nitrogen-containing species are thought to play a role in the eventual production of amino acids and proteins. In our region of the Galaxy, the abundance of phosphorus (which sits directly below nitrogen in the periodic table) is approximately two hundred times smaller than that of nitrogen.  This difference is reflected in the fact that only seven P-bearing compounds (CP, NCCP, CCP, HCP, PN, PO, and PH3) have been identified in the ISM to date, while more than one hundred N-bearing species are already known to be there. Nevertheless, phosphorus is more abundant on Earth than in the Universe as a whole and can be found in nucleotides, phospholipids, and nucleic acids which are critical to life as we know it.  What phosphorus carriers have yet to be identified in the interstellar medium? How are these molecules transformed into the substances we eventually observe on Earth?  What signatures can we use to identify them in different remote environments?  How do they end up concentrated on planets like Earth? 

 

The questions to be answered remain formidable and endless. The challenge of adding to our understanding how certain unusual, highly reactive molecules containing a phosphorus atom can be identified in space has been taken up in Warsaw by the team from the Institute of Physical Chemistry: Dr. Arun-Libertsen Lawzer, Dr. Thomas Custer, doctoral student Elavenil Ganesan, led by Prof. Robert Kołos. They work in collaboration with Prof. Jean-Claude Guillemin of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes (France).

Their recent paper explores the photochemistry of phosphabutyne (CH3CH2CP). Embedded in inert ice and exposed to ultraviolet light, the molecule was shown to undergo both isomerization (rearrangement of atoms) and loss of hydrogen. Two important products observed were phosphabutadiyne (HC₃P) and vinylphosphaethyne (H2CCHCP). Their nitrogen-bearing analogues cyanoacetylene (HC3N) and vinyl cyanide (H2CCHCN) are already recognized as important and abundant interstellar molecules.

Both HC3P and H2CCHCP are very reactive and therefore unstable in typical laboratory conditions. Their formation was now made possible through the use of a cryogenic technique, where a small amount of phosphabutyne was frozen at around 10 Kelvin into an ice made of argon. Phosphabutyne molecules were effectively trapped between argon atoms, just as were the reactive species formed from them, like HC3P. This isolation, i.e. separation with Ar atoms, made the photoproduced molecules stable and ready for spectroscopic characterization. Probing with infrared light revealed the frequencies of molecular vibrations, unique to each of the products. Quantum chemical computations helped in matching these frequencies with specific chemical compounds. In addition to HC3P and H2CHCP, several exotic isomers of the initial molecule could be seen, as well as the smaller products: ethynylphosphinidene (HCCP) and phoshaethyne (HCP). 

“We were after the completely unexplored infrared spectroscopy of HC3P and CH2CHCP. Thus far, only the microwave, i.e. purely rotational spectra of these two have been reported. Characterising the molecular vibrations of such exotic, phosphorus-bearing molecules is important to the burgeoning field of infrared astrospectroscopy.” – says prof. Kołos, while Dr. Lawzer specifies: “In the case of HC3P, we measured as many as five vibrational frequencies, which should be beneficial for future remote detections”.

The study uncovers vibrational signatures of thus far poorly characterised or unknown molecules and indicates how ultraviolet light can degrade certain phosphorous derivatives in a chemically inert icy environment, a first step to understanding the reactions occurring in the ISM. “Advances in instrumentation allow us to identify molecules at ever lower abundances. HC3P, the phosphorus analogue of the famous astromolecule HC3N, looks like a candidate for detection with the James Webb Space Telescope” – remarks Dr. Custer.  With time we should learn whether such phosphorus carriers are out there and whether they are important for the origin of life.

Their work received financial support from the PHC Polonium project no. BPN/BFR/2021/1/00028/U/00001.

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Journal

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

DOI

10.1039/D4CP04182H