Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to ramp up efforts to curb the spread of blackchin tilapia in the country.
The Prime Minister has mandated the ministry to investigate how this invasive species, native to West Africa, managed to dominate the nation’s waterways.
In response to this directive, the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thamanat Prompow, visited Samut Sakhon to meet with officials from 16 provinces affected by the blackchin tilapia invasion.
During this meeting, Minister Thamanat declared that stopping the invasive fish is a national priority, labeling it a threat to local biodiversity.
To combat this issue, the Department of Fisheries has decided to purchase blackchin tilapia from local fishermen at 15 baht per kilogram.
Despite being sold for only 10 baht per kilogram at local markets, this has led some individuals to buy the fish cheaply and resell it to the department for a profit, according to Captain Thamanat.
To manage the blackchin tilapia population, the ministry is exploring options such as setting traps and introducing natural predators like white seabass to consume the fish’s hatchlings, a ministry official noted.
This official also mentioned that the ministry is considering altering the fish’s chromosomes to prevent them from reproducing.
On Monday, representatives from the National Fisheries Association of Thailand presented a proposal to Captain Thamanat to address the spread of the fish.
The association pledged to support government initiatives to eliminate blackchin tilapia and requested financial support for these efforts.
The Department of Fisheries has recently reinforced a prohibition against breeding blackchin tilapia, with violators facing penalties under Section 144 of the Fisheries Act, including imprisonment or fines.
The prohibition reflects the species’ high adaptability; blackchin tilapias mature and reproduce rapidly, undermining the local ecosystem and displacing more economically valuable fish species, to the detriment of local fishermen.
