Fisheries Department calls releasing foreign species to mark Songkran a grave sin
The Fisheries Department has warned that releasing foreign fish and other species into natural water reservoirs would be a grave sin, not-merit making for Songkran celebrations.
The department said foreign fish and freshwater marine species could destroy local ecology as the foreign species could annihilate native species, and the damage might be beyond repair.
Thais like to celebrate Songkran by releasing fishes and turtles into natural water resources to make merit.
Fisheries Department director general Bancha Sukkaew said those who want to make merit should make sure that released fish and turtles do not belong to any of these five groups of foreign species:
- African sharptooth catfishes or hybrids
- Foreign fishes bred as pets in fish tanks, such as guppies, goldfish, fancy carps, and suckermouth catfish
- Cichlids
- Red-eared slider turtles and Chinese soft-shelled turtles
- Crayfish
Bancha said these foreign species could destroy the ecology of native species and it would need both time and money to restore it. Preventing them from escaping into the environment would be the best policy for dealing with them, he added.
