The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has launched an investigation into reports of a massive "fish glut" in certain coastal regions while retail prices in urban wet markets remain high. Due to the current extreme heatwaves, fish farmers and coastal fishermen have been harvesting stocks earlier than usual to prevent mass die offs in warming waters. However, consumers in cities like Kuala Lumpur have yet to see a corresponding drop in prices, leading to allegations of profiteering by middlemen.

Ministerial enforcement officers are currently monitoring supply chains to identify where the price bottleneck is occurring. Early findings suggest that while wholesale prices at the jetties have plummeted due to oversupply, logistics costs and "unnecessary markups" by distributors are keeping prices inflated for the end consumer. The government has warned that it will not hesitate to use the Price Control and Anti Profiteering Act against those found manipulating the market.

To mitigate the impact on fishermen, the government is exploring temporary storage solutions and encouraging the export of surplus stock to neighboring markets. Meanwhile, the public is being urged to report any instances of excessive pricing to the KPDN through their official digital complaint channels. This situation highlights the ongoing vulnerability of Malaysia's food supply chain to climate induced weather extremes.