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Media Release: Engineering Solutions Paving the Way to Conserve Mangroves and Marine Mammals
TANJUNG MANIS, Sarawak: A skilled smoked prawn producer, Fatimah Lain from Kampung Belawai, is embarking on a new journey in conserving mangroves and marine mammals. She is moving away from the age of producing smoked prawns by using mangrove logs to a machine, specially engineered to do the work without the need to cut down mangroves.
The 67-year-old smoked prawns or sesar unjur learned the traits of making this traditional delicacy from her early teenage years from her mother. Using the machine for the first time, she praised that the use of technology is less labour-intensive and requires minimal effort.
“Unlike the traditional method, the machine does not require constant monitoring. In traditional smoking, operators need to regularly check and control the fire. It is also lower in cost because the machine consumes less mangrove wood, making it more cost-efficient in the long run,” she said after an event to train sesar unjur producers and handover the smokehouse and machine to the communities held at Kampung Belawai recently.
The smokehouse pilot project was brought to communities in Kampung Belawai by WWF-Malaysia in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC). This smoked prawn processing technology is developed to help reduce communities’ dependence on mangroves to smoke their famed sesar unjur.
Sesar unjur is a seasonal, high-value product, fetching up to RM180 per kilogram in local markets. The version produced along the Belawai–Rajang–Paloh stretch is especially prized for its distinct smoky aroma, traditionally achieved using mangroves as firewood. However, the conventional smoking process lacks temperature and smoke control, leading to excessive mangrove harvesting during peak seasons and raising concerns about the sustainability of mangrove forests as well as the supply of firewood.
The Rajang-Belawai–Paloh mangrove ecosystem is vital to communities livelihood who are mainly fishers and home to various coastal wildlife species, including the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris). The seasonal surge in sesar unjur production places immense pressure on the ecosystem, risking unsustainable harvesting of mangrove wood, which disrupts biodiversity and threatens long-term ecological stability.
However, it is not all pink and rosy for Fatimah. She said, “Currently, there is only one machine available, which limits production capacity to 100 kg of raw prawns per day, whereas the traditional method can produce up to 200 kg daily.”
In her opinion, the taste of machine-processed smoked prawns is not yet fully comparable to the traditional product. Nonetheless, she is willing to give the new method a try as she realised sustainability is the way to move forward.
Tanjung Manis community leader Pemanca Morshidi Moris, who is also the Belawai Mukah Berhad Cooperatives chairman, said this is the second smoked prawn machine introduced in Belawai. The first machine, introduced under a different initiative and organisation, was unsuccessful due to a lack of community involvement.
“For the current machine by UNIMAS and WWF-Malaysia, local smokehouse operators were involved from the start, and their feedback was taken into account project design. For example, the use of LPG instead of full electricity was incorporated based on their suggestion to reduce operational costs.
“While the taste of smoked prawns produced by the machine has not fully matched traditional methods, the outcome is very similar - about 70%,” he said, adding that the machine will be used by cooperative members.
Morshidi said it may take time for traditional operators to fully adopt the new technology. However, broader acceptance is expected over time as more people witness its benefits and outcomes.
“There is consistent demand for sesar unjur in the market. As the younger generation gradually takes over, they tend to be more open to adopting modern and innovative processing methods. In the long term, this shift is expected to support a transition toward more sustainable production practices.”
WWF-Malaysia Sarawak Conservation Programme senior manager for landscapes Ailyn Nau Sidu said the Rajang-Belawai-Paloh mangrove complex covers nearly 94,000 hectares, making it the biggest in the state.
However, if the mangrove complex is not managed sustainably, there are risks of losing more forest mangroves, which will eventually impact fish and marine mammal populations.
“Fish are communities' livelihoods and so are the marine mammals, especially the Irrawaddy dolphins, which have the potential to be an ecotourism attraction to the area,” she said.
Thanking UNIMAS, SDEC and communities for their support in the project, Ailyn shared that initial research from the university showed that the machine has reduced the use of mangrove wood successfully by 80% to produce sesar unjur against the traditional method.
In 2022, under SDEC funding, UNIMAS Faculty of Engineering, led by Dr. Abang Mohammad Nizam Abang Kamaruddin, developed a prototype system with improved heat and smoke control technologies.
Then, under the leadership of Dr. Annisa Jamali, Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation, the faculty developed and deployed SMOKAHs (Smoking Automation with Hybrid-heat Sources), a modular smoking system powered by electricity and/or solar energy. SMOKAHs integrates multiple heat and smoke sources within a controlled chamber, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and unsustainably harvested wood while preserving the authentic flavours of sesar unjur.
Piloted with other communities from Tebelu to Igan, SMOKAHs is now recognised as a viable solution for preserving traditional food practices in a sustainable way. The machine significantly reduces processing time—from a full day to just three to four hours—and produces prawn that complies with European Commission Food Standards, with significantly lower polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels compared to traditional methods.
According to the team’s certified Greenhouse Gas Professional, Ir. Ts. Dr. Lidyana Roslan, SMOKAHs also achieves up to 80% reduction in carbon emissions. A single smoking cycle consumes only 1–2 kg of mangrove wood, compared to 20.72 kg used in conventional methods to process the same quantity (16 kg) of sesar unjur—a breakthrough in both environmental conservation and production efficiency.
The 67-year-old smoked prawns or sesar unjur learned the traits of making this traditional delicacy from her early teenage years from her mother. Using the machine for the first time, she praised that the use of technology is less labour-intensive and requires minimal effort.
“Unlike the traditional method, the machine does not require constant monitoring. In traditional smoking, operators need to regularly check and control the fire. It is also lower in cost because the machine consumes less mangrove wood, making it more cost-efficient in the long run,” she said after an event to train sesar unjur producers and handover the smokehouse and machine to the communities held at Kampung Belawai recently.
The smokehouse pilot project was brought to communities in Kampung Belawai by WWF-Malaysia in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC). This smoked prawn processing technology is developed to help reduce communities’ dependence on mangroves to smoke their famed sesar unjur.
Sesar unjur is a seasonal, high-value product, fetching up to RM180 per kilogram in local markets. The version produced along the Belawai–Rajang–Paloh stretch is especially prized for its distinct smoky aroma, traditionally achieved using mangroves as firewood. However, the conventional smoking process lacks temperature and smoke control, leading to excessive mangrove harvesting during peak seasons and raising concerns about the sustainability of mangrove forests as well as the supply of firewood.
The Rajang-Belawai–Paloh mangrove ecosystem is vital to communities livelihood who are mainly fishers and home to various coastal wildlife species, including the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris). The seasonal surge in sesar unjur production places immense pressure on the ecosystem, risking unsustainable harvesting of mangrove wood, which disrupts biodiversity and threatens long-term ecological stability.
However, it is not all pink and rosy for Fatimah. She said, “Currently, there is only one machine available, which limits production capacity to 100 kg of raw prawns per day, whereas the traditional method can produce up to 200 kg daily.”
In her opinion, the taste of machine-processed smoked prawns is not yet fully comparable to the traditional product. Nonetheless, she is willing to give the new method a try as she realised sustainability is the way to move forward.
Tanjung Manis community leader Pemanca Morshidi Moris, who is also the Belawai Mukah Berhad Cooperatives chairman, said this is the second smoked prawn machine introduced in Belawai. The first machine, introduced under a different initiative and organisation, was unsuccessful due to a lack of community involvement.
“For the current machine by UNIMAS and WWF-Malaysia, local smokehouse operators were involved from the start, and their feedback was taken into account project design. For example, the use of LPG instead of full electricity was incorporated based on their suggestion to reduce operational costs.
“While the taste of smoked prawns produced by the machine has not fully matched traditional methods, the outcome is very similar - about 70%,” he said, adding that the machine will be used by cooperative members.
Morshidi said it may take time for traditional operators to fully adopt the new technology. However, broader acceptance is expected over time as more people witness its benefits and outcomes.
“There is consistent demand for sesar unjur in the market. As the younger generation gradually takes over, they tend to be more open to adopting modern and innovative processing methods. In the long term, this shift is expected to support a transition toward more sustainable production practices.”
WWF-Malaysia Sarawak Conservation Programme senior manager for landscapes Ailyn Nau Sidu said the Rajang-Belawai-Paloh mangrove complex covers nearly 94,000 hectares, making it the biggest in the state.
However, if the mangrove complex is not managed sustainably, there are risks of losing more forest mangroves, which will eventually impact fish and marine mammal populations.
“Fish are communities' livelihoods and so are the marine mammals, especially the Irrawaddy dolphins, which have the potential to be an ecotourism attraction to the area,” she said.
Thanking UNIMAS, SDEC and communities for their support in the project, Ailyn shared that initial research from the university showed that the machine has reduced the use of mangrove wood successfully by 80% to produce sesar unjur against the traditional method.
In 2022, under SDEC funding, UNIMAS Faculty of Engineering, led by Dr. Abang Mohammad Nizam Abang Kamaruddin, developed a prototype system with improved heat and smoke control technologies.
Then, under the leadership of Dr. Annisa Jamali, Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation, the faculty developed and deployed SMOKAHs (Smoking Automation with Hybrid-heat Sources), a modular smoking system powered by electricity and/or solar energy. SMOKAHs integrates multiple heat and smoke sources within a controlled chamber, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and unsustainably harvested wood while preserving the authentic flavours of sesar unjur.
Piloted with other communities from Tebelu to Igan, SMOKAHs is now recognised as a viable solution for preserving traditional food practices in a sustainable way. The machine significantly reduces processing time—from a full day to just three to four hours—and produces prawn that complies with European Commission Food Standards, with significantly lower polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels compared to traditional methods.
According to the team’s certified Greenhouse Gas Professional, Ir. Ts. Dr. Lidyana Roslan, SMOKAHs also achieves up to 80% reduction in carbon emissions. A single smoking cycle consumes only 1–2 kg of mangrove wood, compared to 20.72 kg used in conventional methods to process the same quantity (16 kg) of sesar unjur—a breakthrough in both environmental conservation and production efficiency.
- Ends -
About WWF-Malaysia
Established in 1972, WWF-Malaysia is part of WWF, the international conservation organisation. Working to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife, WWF-Malaysia’s efforts to conserve nature focus on six major goals - forests, oceans, wildlife, food, climate and energy, as well as freshwater – and three key drivers of environmental problems – markets, finance and governance. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
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