Rayong Fisheries Launch Blackchin Tilapia Culling Drive
Rayong fisheries launched a culling operation to combat invasive blackchin tilapia spreading across three districts in the province. Caught fish will be processed into fish sauce by prison inmates as part of a vocational training program.
At 9 a.m. on July 16, 2025, the Rayong Provincial Fisheries Office organized a fishing operation called "Luang Khek Luang Khlong" to net blackchin tilapia in the Rayong River near the mid-river pagoda in Pak Nam Rayong subdistrict, Muang district, Rayong province, following an outbreak of the invasive species. District chief Kittipong Urawat participated in the activity.
Kanistha Rungruang, head of the fisheries development and vocational promotion group at the Rayong Provincial Fisheries Office, revealed that the blackchin tilapia infestation has reached moderate levels of approximately 100 fish per 100 square meters across three districts: Muang, Ban Chang, and Kaeng. Regular monthly culling operations are now being conducted to remove the invasive species from natural water sources.
Caught blackchin tilapia will be processed into fish sauce as part of a vocational training initiative for inmates at Rayong Central Prison, helping reduce the prison's food production costs while providing job skills before their release. Following the culling operation, predatory snakehead fish will be released in August to prey on blackchin tilapia fry and help control the population in natural waterways. These efforts will continue monthly.
