Council to sue over tilapia invasion

Over 250 producers sign up to join event

A promotional activity was held in Bangkok last month to encourage public consumption of the invasive fish blackchin tilapia. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)
Last month, a promotion campaign was held in Bangkok to inspire the aggressive fish blackchin tilapia’s consumption. ( Photo: Apichart Jinakul )

The Thailand’s Lawyers Council intends to file a petition against private companies and state organizations that are responsible for the unchecked spread of the invasive species, blackchin fish, which is fast sweeping the government’s waterways.

Residents of Samut Songkhram’s Amphawa region, where a group of government lawyers from the government can record to file a lawsuit or provide evidence of the harm that non-native fish species have caused, have set up a kiosk on Sunday.

At the hall in Tambon Yi San on Sunday afternoon, 214 bass producers had registered to file the complaint. On August 2, the crew had set up a booth in Phraek Nam Daeng for the same reason, and 57 fish farmers agreed to participate in the complaint.

The Office of Administrative Cases Commission and Samut Songkhram’s tree of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, according to Nitthrarat Paetwong, the country’s attorney general, may file a civil lawsuit against those who they believe caused the spread of blackchin fish. How many people are affected or how much of the damage is done is also undetermined.

He stated that the government anticipates having the event before Friday, noting that a decision may take at least six months. As for the damage, Mr Nitthrarat said the government may hire a solicitor to work out the settlement. However, the number will inevitably be decided by the court, he said.

The fish have taken the place of the country’s local tilapia species in some of its waterways, as well as other important business species that share the same habitat.

A producer in Phetchaburi, for example, said the carp has essentially wiped out the lobster shares at his farm, causing massive economic damage. Due to the spread of fish, some fish farms in the Pak Phanang and Hua Sai districts of Nakhon Si Thammarat even experienced significant losses.