Living up to its reputation as perhaps one of the smallest fish in the world, little is known about ikan bauk outside of Gedong.
However, for the people of Gedong, it is considered synonym to the locals as it can only be found only in Gedong.
Noted to be as one of the smallest fish in the world, ikan bauk is described as having the appearance of an ikan pusuk (anchovies) but smaller in size.
Roughly measure less than one centimetre, ikan bauk is translucent in colour and can be cooked in several ways.
In the olden days, ikan bauk used to cost about RM2 per kong (kong – size of condensed milk can ≈ 395g) However now, the price has increase to RM10 per kong .
And one of the main reasons why ikan bauk is not known among people outside of Gedong is because it is rarely sold to outsiders due to its limited supply.
In the olden days, fishing for ikan bauk used to be a popular activity among the villagers regardless of age and is a common dish served in every household in Gedong.
However, as time goes by, the practice is slowly dying out as the younger generations began to explore other careers that are in line with the evolution of time.
73 years old Pundu Bin Abai is one and oldest of the three fishermen in Gedong that is still actively fish for ikan bau.
“I taught the other two how to fish for ikan bauk,” said Pundu proudly.
“Back then, you can see many boats lining up alongside of the river to catch ikan bauk. These days however, there are only three fishermen in Gedong that catch ikan bauk because it is difficult and the amount of ikan bauk is not as much as before,” explained Pundu.
He noted that in the past, the activity of catching ikan bau was mostly done by the women community as most (if not all) of the men in Gedong worked collecting woods while the women were left to tend to housework and the paddy fields.
Haven taken the sampan or small boat from home to their paddy field, the women would occasionally spend some time fishing ikan bauk for dinner before heading back home after a long hard work.
According to the people of Gedong, ikan bauk can only be found in Gedong in Batang Sadong and not anywhere else in Sarawak.
44-year-old fisherman, Zamryhassall Bin Golic said that it was perhaps the properties of the water that makes it a suitable habitat for ikan bauk.
Born and bred in Gedong, Zamryhassall also had experience fishing for ikan bauk when he was younger.
“During low tide, you notice that the water in this river has a reddish hue to it. We call the water sungai air daun (leafy water) as the water flows down from the swampy areas,”
“So, it is assumed that this contributes in providing an ideal living condition for ikan bauk at this river,” explained Zamryhassall.
He added that there are two types of ikan bauk; ikan bauk mayang and ikan bauk nyanggat.
The latter can be identified by having a reddish tint on its body that is no bigger than the eye of a sewing needle.
Catching ikan bauk in bulk requires plenty of patience and skills.
Dubbed as ‘Raja Ikan bauk’ or the King of Ikan bauk in Gedong by a local assemblyman due to his skills and knowledge in catching the notoriously minuscule size fish.
Having learned to fish ikan bauk from his father since he was a young boy, Pundu picked up the activity again after he retired working as a wood collector about 30 years ago.
With the experience of almost seven decades in catching ikan bauk, Pundu display an agile yet effortless skill in catching them.
One sunny morning, RAKAN Sarawak was invited to go on a boat ride with Pundu to see how ikan bauk is caught.
As he expertly manoeuvres his boat along the river to find the proper spot to catch ikan bauk, Pundu explained that Batang Sadong links to Simunjan, Serian and Balai Ringin and used to be a popular mode of transportation for the villagers before roads were built linking Gedong to the nearest towns.
According to Pundu, ikan bauk is best caught during rainy season as that is when they are the most abundant.
“To catch them, you need to slowly drive the boat at the side of the river with your net down the water. You cannot find ikan bauk at the middle of the river,” he explained during the ride.
To catch ikan bauk, Pundu uses a net called seledok which is made out kelambu (mosquito net for bed).
The net somewhat resembles a racket complete with a head, shaft and handle and is about half a meter in length.
The net which is also about half a meter in length is attach and flows from the head to form a pointy end.
According to Pundu, on a good day he can spend about four to five hours on the river and would manage to fill in two huge containers weighing 40 kilograms of ikan bauk.
While this may seem like a huge amount, ikan bauk is selling like hot cakes among the locals and will likely be sold out in a short amount of time, thus another contributing reason why ikan bauk is not commonly known outside Gedong.
“It would be a joy if I can fill up these two containers on one trip, but it is not always like that every day,” he said.
From the river to the kitchen, ikan bauk is a special delicacy only can be found in Gedong itself.
Businesswoman, Sofia Binti Serah who owns a diner at Anjung Usahawan in Gedong said that ikan bauk can be prepared in various ways.
As it is only available in limited amount, Sofia said visitors would not likely find this dish in any eateries except for household kitchens in Gedong.
One of the most popular ways of cooking ikan bauk is stir frying it with mushroom, which is said to be the best way to really taste the authentic and clean flavour of ikan bauk.
Other ways ikan bauk can be prepared includes making it into fritters and pepes (a cooking method using banana leaves as food wrappings).
