KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 — Blood cockles are so rare and expensive these days that one would have to fork out up to RM26 to have them with a plate of char koay teow.
English daily The Star reported that a hawker from Penang — who serves an extra portion of large-sized cockles piled high on his noodles, alongside large shrimps and fried eggs — charges between RM16.50 and RM26 for the dish.
"I source them from two local fishermen who send them to me twice daily, in the morning and noon, to ensure freshness,” said Michael Chew, 40 who sells his char koay teow in Bagan Lalang, Penang
Despite the steep price, as many as eight out of ten customers still opt for the premium plates. A normal plate of Chew’s wok-fried flat noodles costs only RM6.
According to The Star, patrons craving his cockle-laden plates can be seen jamming the parking spaces around his residence, especially on weekends.
Curry noodle vendor Chiam, 52, was reported saying that she had stopped looking for large cockles because of the price and inconsistent supply.
"I now serve medium-sized ones that used to cost RM8 per kg but they are now RM16 per kg.
"For each bowl of curry noodles, I give five. Some customers want extra. I charge RM3, but I can only add if I have extra,” she was quoted saying.
Selangor Fisheries Department director Noraisyah Abu Bakar confirmed that there had been a drop in cockle production off the coasts of Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor, and Klang.
"On September 2, we had an engagement session with all cockle farmers in Selangor.
"We narrowed down the problems to three: the hardening of the seabed (cockles need a soft, muddy seabed), pollution from land caused by humans, and the theft of juvenile cockles,” she reportedly said.
Noraisyah said the Fisheries Department has been looking to address the drop in output for years, with the Fisheries Research Institute starting research projects to enhance breeding techniques to tackle such national calamity.
According to the government data website, www.data.gov.my, as of 2016, Perak was the largest producer of cockles at 5,281.49 tonnes, followed by Selangor at 2,023.65 tonnes and Johor at 1,263.21 tonnes.
