
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is working with the Department of Fisheries to curb the population of blackchin tilapia, which is increasing in three Bangkok districts. The invasive species is causing trouble for farmers as it preys on smaller fish.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the fish had been spreading from nearby Samut Songkhram provinces to other areas for some time, with numbers growing in three districts in Bangkok: Bang Khunthian, Thung Kru and Bang Bon.
About 900 aquaculture farmers run shrimp and fish farms in the districts.
“The blackchin tilapia’s population is increasing rapidly, and they eat smaller fish and roe and can endure harsh environments, which makes them a threat to fish farmers,” Mr Chadchart said after a recent visit to Bang Khunthian.
The species would also affect other industries apart from the aquaculture industry, said Mr Chadchart, who was accompanied by Nattacha Boonchaiinsawat, the local Move Forward Party MP, and officials from the Bang Khunthian district office and the Department of Fisheries.
The Department of Fisheries has devised measures to deal with the situation, said Sarayut Metinapitak a department official who took part in the inspection visit.
They include controlling the blackchin tilapia population in aquatic habitats where they are found to be growing in number, releasing predator fish such as barramundi into the wild, and making use of blackchin tilapia removed from the ecosystem, among other strategies.
“The BMA is working with the department to address the issue and find ways to support farmers, with their businesses facing tenfold decreases in earnings,” said Mr Sarayut.
Two thousand blackchin tilapia were originally imported from Ghana in 2010 by CP Foods, part of the Charoen Pokphand agribusiness conglomerate, according to Isra News Agency. The company had a permit to study the fish for breeding at its research centre in Samut Songkhram province.
The company subsequently told the fisheries department that the fish had died within three weeks of being brought to Thailand and had been buried. But they later started showing up in local waterways and as their population grew, native fish species started decreasing in number.
The blackchin tilapia found in the waters of 13 Thai provinces were found to have come from the same parent stock, based on DNA tests conducted by the Department of Fisheries.
Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompow last week established a special committee to oversee the eradication effort, with experts and representatives of people in affected areas.
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