Environmental Group Seeks Court Review of Fish Export Controls
An environmental group petitioned Thailand's Administrative Court to investigate how over 320,000 blackchin tilapia were exported between 2013-2016 without clear records of their origin, raising questions about government oversight and trac
The Forest Voice Network, a civil society environmental organization, filed a petition with the Administrative Court on September 7 to request an investigation into the Fisheries Department and related government agencies' oversight and inspection of blackchin tilapia imports and exports, as well as public disclosure of information.
The petition focuses on examining export routes for blackchin tilapia from Thailand between 2013 and 2016, after records showed 11 aquaculture companies exported over 320,000 fish across 222 shipments before complaints of the species spreading in 2017.
Chaiypat Chanthavilai, chairman of the Forest Voice Network, said public attention has largely focused on how blackchin tilapia entered Thailand, but the network believes the export route deserves serious investigation. This includes determining where exported fish originated, who raised or owned them, and whether their sources can be traced back.
According to documents submitted with the petition, export records from that period listed the common name "Blackchin tilapia" and scientific name "Sarotherodon melanotheron," but contained no clear information on the fish's origin or source. This raises questions about the effectiveness of the traceability system at that time.
The network also seeks clarification on post-2017 explanations that the fish species misidentification may have resulted from exporter confusion. The network notes that aquatic animal exports undergo pre-shipment inspection and these fish were sent to over 10 countries, yet the same identification error reportedly occurred over 200 times across a four-year period.
Chaiypat stated the petition aims to trigger an investigation into government agencies' performance and bring relevant facts to public light, potentially tracing blackchin tilapia sources and yielding insights for current management efforts. The network emphasized that these observations require further verification and do not imply the 11 companies caused the outbreak or that government agencies favored anyone, but rather represent unanswered questions the public deserves clarity on.
