Fishermen in Bang Kaeo sub-district of Phetchaburi province have each reaped a harvest of over 100kg of Blackchin tilapia fish, which washed ashore on Bang Kaeo Beach this morning.
Fishermen told the media that they had never seen so many Blackchin tilapia being washed ashore, although they had seen them at sea.
The fishermen kept only the large fish, to be used as food for crabs, and ignored the smaller ones, which were left to die on the beach.
Sirinthorn Thaveesap, headman of Village 4 in Bang Kaeo sub-district, said that the non-indigenous species has been seen in natural watercourses and the sea for several years, but the problem was ignored by authorities until they spread beyond control.
He suspects that the fish were intentionally released into the sea, via the Bang Kaeo Canal.
Several provinces have launched campaigns urging fishermen to catch the invasive fish, for sale to the authorities at 15 baht/kg. The fish will then be sent to the Land Development Department to be processed into bio compost, for use by rubber growers to nourish their land.
The Fisheries Department has set aside 450 million baht to get rid of the fish in watercourses across the country.
