04/07/2026 04:45 PM

Sungai Muar Holds Treasure Of Unique White Oyster Ecosystem

By Abdul Rahman Fahmi Abdul Aziz

MUAR, July 4 (Bernama) -- As early as 7.30 am at Parit Tiram Jetty, the dark green current of Sungai Muar seemed to promise nothing. However, in the dark depths, the hunt for gastronomic treasures hidden deep at the bottom began.

The sudden raindrops that poured down harshly wet the deck floor as the boat engine slowly roared through the morning silence, only strengthened the writer's desire to see for himself how this search is risking lives in the field.

To the naked eye, this river estuary is just a boring expanse of muddy water, but behind the darkness of its bottom, it hosts white oysters or their scientific name Crassostrea (Magallana) saidii.

With the guidance of Parit Tiram village head, Mohammad Daniel Azahari, 33, who is affectionately called Tok Daniel by the locals, the writer was told how the oysters of this river treasure are in a class of their own.

"Muar oysters are among the best oysters in the world, because they are white oysters that are hard to get. Many times other people have tried to seed them elsewhere but they didn't work. They must grow and live naturally here….

"Before I became the village head, I had never even tasted these oysters. I couldn't eat them, I felt nauseous. But I tried them once, they were delicious. Not fishy, ​​fresh and there was no aftertaste like other oysters," he told Bernama.

Mohammad Daniel said that the white oysters in this river are among the best in the world because of genetic factors and the quality of their natural ecosystem which is very unique, and they have even been studied and tried to be bred in other areas.

However, all the oyster seeds that were taken out of their original habitat eventually met with a dead end, failed to survive, and died.

"It is because of the water quality here, when the tide is in, salt water comes in. When the tide is out, fresh water pushes them out. So the oysters here are in two waters. Even though we try to grow the seeds in other places, it's quite difficult for them to survive. Only the organic ones that come here themselves will survive,” he said.

Daniel said the harvesting process of this treasure is still manual with fishermen diving to the bottom of the estuary without the aid of breathing apparatus or oxygen tanks, making it a unique attraction that is difficult to find elsewhere.

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OYSTER-TREASURE 3 MUAR 

 

Not only that, the geographical conditions of Sungai Muar act as a complex flavour map for the mollusc dish where oysters that breed in different shoals have their own unique flavours.

Locals name these flavour depths among them are Ngah Leman shoal, Ngah Talib shoal and Panjang shoal, each of which promises a different oyster profile in terms of size and texture of the contents.

The structure of the silt deposits, the speed of the current, and the salinity of the water in each area ultimately sculpt the exclusive flavour, making the activity of tracking down white oysters here seem like a mysterious flavour hunting activity.

In the middle of the Muar River estuary that is rough under the pouring rain, the writer's gaze is directed to Zaimi Mohd Noh, 57, is one of the veteran oyster divers who still perseveres at the bottom of this murky estuary.

Starting to dive for oysters at the age of 13, the retired military man admits that the career of manually hunting oysters in the darkness of the riverbed is a life-threatening gamble that requires great courage and self-motivation.

"This work is dangerous, it's not like work on land. If you have an accident on land and die, people can still see your (body). But if something happens in the sea or river, whether we get it or not, that's all...

"Istighfar is always on the lips, because we don't know what's happening below. We dive instead of looking around," said the father of five.

Commenting on the continuation of the legacy, he admitted that it was difficult to attract the involvement of the younger generation due to safety factors and extreme physical risks.

"We can't force it. He must come to his interest... If we want to force it, we can't, because the job conditions are dangerous," he said, who is also worried about the lack of young blood to continue the job.

-- BERNAMA

 

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