Fish crisis needs action

It is a positive development for local fishermen that the problem of invasive blackchin tilapia has returned to the public's attention courtesy of the censure debate against Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

- 

The nonnative fish have been found in 19 provinces and coastal areas, a concern for local fishery businesses who fear it could replace local species.

The Department of Fisheries (DoF) has banned imports of the fish except for research, for good reason.

The resilient species is native to tropical African regions and can live in fresh, brine, and seawater. It will eat away all local species and plankton before mating and colonising long stretches of waterways.

On Monday, Nattacha Boonchaiinsawat, a Bangkok MP for the opposition People's Party (PP), grilled Ms Paetongtarn during the censure debate, criticising her and the DoF for failing to contain the spread of the fish.