Eradicated in Jakarta, Janitor Fish Becomes Food for Sidrap Residents

Last November, a programme began to utilise janitor fish as feed,” said Chairman of the Duck Farming Group, Muhammad Abu Rizal, as reported by detikSulsel on Wednesday (29/4/2026). Rizal explained that the idea stemmed from the abundance of janitor fish in Lake Sidenreng, Mojong Village, Watang Sidenreng Subdistrict. The lake is also overrun with water hyacinth. Recently, the lake’s condition has drawn attention from Sidrap Regent Syaharuddin Alrif, leading to the idea of processing the janitor fish. Meanwhile, Sidrap Regent Syaharuddin Alrif acknowledged that residents also consume janitor fish from Lake Sidenreng in limited quantities. He claimed that the fish are not yet contaminated with heavy metals as seen in Jakarta. “The janitor fish in Lake Sidenreng have no contamination because there are no industries nearby. That’s why it’s still commonly consumed but in limited amounts because the flesh has a bit more bones,” said Syahar.