Invasive blackchin tilapia spreading again in Thailand
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Invasive blackchin tilapia spreading again in Thailand

Samut Sakhon fishermen stop catching them after government price guarantees end

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A farmer shows blackchin tilapia that he and others caught in Khlong Prem Prachakorn near Government House on Jan 13. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)
A farmer shows blackchin tilapia that he and others caught in Khlong Prem Prachakorn near Government House on Jan 13. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)

SAMUT SAKHON - Blackchin tilapia fish are once more spreading in the waters of this Central Plains province after local fishermen stopped catching the non-native invasive species.

Local residents said catching the fish was no longer worth the effort after the government stopped buying them at 15 baht per kilogramme, one of its measures to control the alien fish.

Currently, the fish sell for just 3-4 baht a kilogramme.

A recent inspection by the media found Khlong Sanam Chai near Wat Sophon Wanaram in Muang district of Samut Sakhon infested by large numbers of blackchin tilapia.

In August, the Fisheries Department declared 19 provinces, including Samut Sakhon, as areas affected by the fish invasion.

Hannarong Rodsamrit, a local fisherman, said his trawler netted more than 20 tonnes of blackchin tilapia from waterways last month, which is ample proof of the new outbreak.

He said local fishermen stopped fishing for them more than two months ago after the government scrapped its purchases.

“It costs about 1,500 to 2,000 baht to trawl for fish each time,” he explained. “When the price goes down to 3-4 baht a kilogramme, fishermen have to catch one tonne per day to make a profit, which is a tough task.

“So, we decided to stop catching the fish, and a new wave of the outbreak occurred as a result,” Mr Hannarong said.

Blackchin tilapia is an African fish species. In Thai waterways, they have disrupted native ecosystems, as they compete with native fish species for sustenance.

In July last year, the government declared an all-out war on blackchin tilapia and approved 450 million baht to control the predatory fish. Measures to control their spread included buying the fish above market price and promoting its consumption. A 50-million-baht fund to purchase the alien fish at 15 baht per kilogramme was also launched.

The agribusiness giant Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CPF) has pledged to buy 2 million kilogrammes of the fish to produce fishmeal to help tackle the problem until Oct 30.

CPF has been at the centre of a controversy over whether it played a role in the spread of blackchin tilapia. It has acknowledged that it imported the fish from Ghana for research in December 2010, with permission from the Department of Fisheries. But it scrapped the project a month later after they grew weak and died.

All of the fish were subsequently disposed of using approved methods, with samples and documentation sent to the department, CPF has said. But the department maintains that it did not receive the material in question.

Meanwhile, shrimp farmers in several provinces in the South, including Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla, have also been affected by new outbreaks of blackchin tilapia. Heavy flooding in the region late last year led to further infestations in local waterways and shrimp farms.

Withoon Lienchamroon, director of the BioThai Foundation, said he was disappointed with the government’s failure to get rid of blackchin tilapia. This was a disaster for the ecological system, and neighbouring countries might also feel the impact if something is not done, he said

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