Bangkok, The Director-General of the Department of Fisheries revealed that predatory fish will be released into natural water sources where the outbreak of black-chinned tilapia has been found, with continuous evaluation. The study results clearly indicate that predatory fish can eat black-chinned tilapia fry, which can be controlled biologically. The public can be confident.
Mr. Bancha Sukkaew, Director-General of the Department of Fisheries, said that the Department of Fisheries has already initiated the release of predatory fish into natural water sources in some areas, such as Samut Sakhon and Rayong provinces. The Department will continuously monitor and evaluate the release of predatory fish to analyze the effectiveness of controlling the reproduction of small black-chinned tilapia. This measure will be implemented by using fishing equipment to eliminate black-chinned tilapia in collaboration with communities and various agencies. After large black-chinned tilapia are captured and their numbers are red
uced, the released predatory fish will eliminate the small black-chinned tilapia population, helping to control the fish’s reproduction cycle in the future.
The use of predatory fish to control invasive aquatic species is a biological control method that has been widely researched and used in many countries. Predator fish can help eliminate invasive aquatic species in areas where fishing gear is not accessible, such as mangrove forests or water sources with various obstacles to fishing. This helps to solve the problem of invasive species spreading without causing long-term impacts on the environment and ecosystem.
From the research of the Department of Fisheries using sea bass and 4-inch eel, bred by the Coastal Aquatic Animal Research and Development Center of the Department of Fisheries, to be predators of black chin tilapia in the experimental area imitating nature, it was found that sea bass and eel, which can live in both freshwater and saltwater, can use their predatory instincts to eliminate black ch
in tilapia of 2-3 centimeters (which is the size that is about to enter the reproductive age at approximately 4 centimeters) 5-12 and 3-4 per day, respectively. However, they cannot eat black chin tilapia larger than 3 centimeters because the hard fin rays are an obstacle to eating and digestion. However, when the predatory fish are larger, they can eliminate larger black chin tilapia as well. In addition, black chin tilapia, even though they are large, cannot eat the predatory fish because of the smaller mouth and jaw size. In addition to sea bass and eel, there are other predatory fish such as striped catfish, snakehead fish, and snakehead fish that can also help eliminate black chin tilapia. Selecting the type of predatory fish and the rate of stocking that is suitable for each area or ecosystem of the water source is a matter that must be carefully planned and considered. To maintain the ecological balance and not cause any impacts to existing native aquatic animals, including the survival of the released
predatory fish, the provincial fisheries office that faces the problem will be responsible for proposing a plan for releasing predatory fish through the provincial black-chinned tilapia outbreak resolution committee to the Fisheries Department for consideration and approval.
When the outbreak situation improves, the number of black-chinned tilapia will decrease to the point where the ecosystem is suitable for restoration. The Department of Fisheries will accelerate the release of native aquatic species into the original ecosystem to restore the abundance of aquatic resources to Thailand’s water sources.
Source: Thai News Agency