PUBLISHED: 7 Oct 2024 at 17: 22
The Department of Fisheries is developing “nam army ra,” or , fermented seafood sauce, in order to eliminate blackchin fish from Thailand’s waters.
The office will work with local populations in affected areas to turn blackchin fish into the common eastern spice in an effort to stop the spread of the invasive types, which threatens commercially valuable bass stocks in at least nine provinces, according to department head Bancha Sukkaew.
He claimed that this is in line with Akkara Prompow, the deputy minister of agriculture and cooperatives ,’s recommendation that the department take proactive measures to lessen the impact of the invasive fish on the economies of the affected regions.
The plan, he said, aims to remove at least 200, 000 kg of blackchin fish from lakes in Chumphon, Phetchaburi, Samut Prakan, Samut Songkhram, Prachin Buri, Ratchaburi, Chon Buri, Rayong and Nonthaburi regions.
The tools needed to make army baba will each get 245,000 baht from the sign-up communities. In total, the department may manage 4.9 million ringgit to the system, said Mr Bancha. Twenty populations had signed off, to date.
Phichaya Chainak, chairman of the Fisheriees Industrial Technology, Research and Development Division (FTDD), said spiced fish items, such as trained army baba and powdered army ra, are not only commonly consumed in Thailand, but also exported to markets in different Asean countries, China, the European Union, the Middle East and the United States.
” Turning blackchin fish into na pla baba will not only help control the spread of the aggressive seafood, but also enhance local economies and encourage community wedding,” said Ms. Phichaya.
Bancha, the head of the department, expressed confidence that this program will be a successful strategy to stop the spread of alien species and increase the value of native fish products while encouraging regional economic growth.