PUBLISHED: 23 Jul 2024 at 08: 18
The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry has been given instructions by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to intensify its efforts to stop the country’s blackfish fish spread.
The government has also been ordered to decide how the invasive types, which is endemic to West Africa, were able to get over the government’s waters, the prime minister said on Monday.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow traveled to Samut Sakhon after receiving the order to meet with representatives from 16 counties that have reported an conquest of their region’s black fish.
At the conference, he said halting the spread of the invasive types is a federal focus, calling blackchin fish a threat to local wildlife.
The Department of Fisheries has agreed to pay 15 ringgit per kilogram for blackchin fishes that local fishermen have caught in an effort to stop the fish’s spread.
However, some people chose to buy the seafood at the market and resell it to the office for a profit because it is so common, according to Capt Thamanat, and it sells for only 10 baht per pounds at local markets.
The government is considering several measures to reduce blackchin fish numbers, including setting up traps to catch predators like pale seabass, according to a source within the ministry. Additionally, the ministry is considering using blackchin tilapia as animal feed and encouraging it as food.
According to the cause, the government is considering changing the genomes of the fish to prevent them from breeding.
On Monday, representatives from the National Fisheries Association of Thailand ( NFA ) submitted a proposal to stop the fish from getting to Capt Thamanat.
Before urging the government to set aside money to help pay for the effort, the organization said it would help the administration’s efforts to stop the multiply of the fish.
The Department of Fisheries made a new restrictions on raising blackchin fishes next Friday. A violation of Section 144 of the Fisheries Act could face up to a time in jail and/or a fine of up to one million baht.
The aggressive species ‘ reputation as a highly flexible types justifies the ban. Blackchin tilapias older and reproduce rapidly, harming the local ecosystem and posing a threat to fishermen, who claim the fish are fast replacing more valuable species in nearby streams.