Thai authorities have provided information on the fight against the harmful fish species – the black-headed tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron), whose invasion has caused serious damage to the Asian country’s environment and economy. This was reported by Portal Phys.org, with reference to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.
Schools of black-headed tilapia, capable of producing up to 500 offspring at a time, have been found in 19 provinces in Thailand. They eat smaller fish, shrimp and snail larvae, polluting the water and spreading disease.
The Thai government said 1.3 million kilograms of blackhead tilapia were caught in the province from February to September 2024. Authorities estimated the damage to the country’s economy at at least 10 billion baht ($293 million).
It is not known exactly how the fish, which is originally from West Africa, came to Thailand. Local media reported that the species may have been brought from Ghana by one of the companies in 2010.
To combat the pest tilapia, authorities have begun paying citizens to catch fish and have opened a network of 75 points where catches are delivered at a price of 15 baht ($0.42) per kilogram. Authorities have also released predatory fish species that eat tilapia into the water area.
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Source: Gazeta
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