Invasive Snakehead Fish Detected in Lampao Dam, Kalasin
Invasive snakehead fish confirmed in Lampao Dam in Kalasin Province threaten the region's aquaculture industry, which generates 3 billion baht annually from crayfish and tilapia farming.
Invasive snakehead fish have been confirmed in Lampao Dam in Kalasin Province, a major economic aquaculture center in Northeast Thailand. According to Bunthong Phaochaering, the Kalasin Provincial Fisheries Officer, preliminary results from the Department of Fisheries' Freshwater Fisheries Research and Development Division confirmed the fish samples as authentic snakehead, identifiable by their characteristic slender body shape. Official written confirmation is expected within the week. Provincial fisheries authorities, the governor, administration officials, the research division director, and related agencies plan to conduct an in-depth field investigation on September 12. Kalasin Province is a key economic aquaculture hub in Northeast Thailand, hosting 1,225 crayfish farmers operating on approximately 8,500 rai of land, generating about 1 billion baht annually, alongside 425 tilapia cage farmers running over 12,000 cages, which rank first in tilapia production across the region with combined annual production valued at around 2 billion baht. This situation demands urgent government action and containment measures to prevent the snakehead outbreak from spreading as it has in other provinces, which could threaten the livelihoods and incomes of farmers across the entire sector.
