CPF denies any fishy business in blackchin tilapia spread

CP Foods (CPF), a major player in the Charoen Pokphand agribusiness conglomerate, firmly denies any responsibility for the spread of invasive blackchin tilapia in Thailand.

The company clarified that it is not the sole importer of the fish, as confirmed by the Department of Fisheries. Records indicate that 11 companies exported the fish to 17 countries roughly a decade ago.

Chief Executive of CPF, Prasit Boondoungprasert, stated yesterday, July 18, that the company imported the fish for research purposes in December 2010. However, the project was abandoned a month later after the fish became weak and died.

“That happened 14 years ago. How does the spread [of the blackchin tilapia] have anything to do with us?

“We are a big company, and we have to follow the proper procedures. We have import documents. But I don’t know who else also imported the fish in large numbers. About 50,000 to 60,000 fish were also exported each year [from Thailand].”

Prasit further claimed that the blackchin tilapia were raised as ornamental fish between 2013 and 2015.

Conflicting claims

He asserted that CPF had submitted documents regarding the disposal of the fish to the Department of Fisheries. This statement came in response to the department’s claim that it had not received such documents from the company.

The department granted CPF a permit to import 2,000 blackchin tilapia from Ghana in 2010 for research in Samut Songkhram province.

CPF reported to the department that the fish died within three weeks of their arrival in Thailand and were subsequently buried.

However, locals later reported catching the alien species in shrimp farms and waterways in the province. The presence of blackchin tilapia has since expanded to 16 provinces, including Bangkok, Rayong, and Nakhon Si Thammarat. As the population of the invasive fish grew, native fish species began to decrease.

DNA tests conducted by the department confirmed that all the fish originated from the same parent stock.

The Department of Fisheries Chief, Bancha Sukkaew, mentioned yesterday that approximately 230,000 blackchin tilapia were shipped by 11 exporters to 17 countries between 2013 and 2016.

Not protected

Exporting the fish was banned in 2018. The fish are not a protected species, so breeders may have sourced them from natural habitats, he added.

Bancha also noted that the department had requested CPF to submit documents related to the disposal of the fish but had not yet received them.

The department estimates that controlling the blackchin tilapia population will take three years, using genetic modification to produce infertile offspring.

Bancha clarified that male specimens will be genetically modified to mate and produce infertile fry. At least 250,000 genetically modified fish will be released over 15 months, starting in December at the latest, reported Bangkok Post.