In an innovative approach to address the Blackchin tilapia, three organizations have joined forces to launch a unique project that transforms an environmental challenge into a marketable product. The Department of Corrections, Department of Fisheries, and Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF) have collaborated to create "Hub Poei Mae Klong," a new fish sauce made from Blackchin tilapia. This initiative, spearheaded by Samut Songkhram Central Prison, is part of a comprehensive strategy to manage the population of this invasive species while providing vocational opportunities for inmates.
The project aligns with the government's national agenda to mitigate the impact of Blackchin tilapia on local ecosystems.
Mrs. Jittra Prasertsopha, Director of Samut Songkhram Central Prison, explained, "the organization has been continuously providing inmates to assist Samut Songkhram Fisheries in catching Blackchin fish as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. This action aims to uphold social acceptance and build confidence in inmates and ex-offenders."
The project encompasses several key initiatives:
- Involving inmates in the fish-catching at the community fishing events organized by the Provincial Fisheries Office.
- Resource Utilization: Caught fish are used to prepare meals for inmates and staff, as well as feed for ducks and sea bass in the prison's vocational training programs.
- Fish Sauce Production: In collaboration with CPF, the prison is now processing caught Blackchin tilapia into fish sauce under the brand "Hub Poei Mae Klong."
- Vocational Training: CPF has invited Jitkorn Buadee, a model farmer from Phetchaburi province and owner of the "Chao Wang" fish sauce brand, to teach inmates the process of making fish sauce.
Bundit Kullawanich, chief of Samut Songkhram Provincial Fisheries Office, highlighted the efficiency of this approach: "The prison's initiative to produce fish sauce is a systematic and highly efficient way to manage the invasive fish population."
Bundit added that since last August, Samut Songkhram has conducted 29 fishing operations. We're seeing a tangible decrease in the Blackchin tilapia population, evidenced by reduced catch quantities and smaller fish sizes, indicating that larger fish have been effectively removed, disrupting the species' life cycle." In their most recent operation, the activity removed 509 kilograms of Blackchin tilapia from three canal locations in Samut Songkhram. Of this catch, 450 kilograms were allocated for fish sauce production, while the remaining 59 kilograms were used as duck feed at the prison.
The cooperation between the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Corrections is part of CPF's proactive approach to managing the Blackchin tilapia issue. This strategy promotes the utilization of Blackchin tilapia in food products to encourage consumption, while simultaneously managing the caught fish by adding value.
To date, CPF has supported the Department of Fisheries' fishing activities across 17 provinces, helping to remove 90,000 kilograms of fish from waterways. Additionally, they have supported the purchase of over 1,700,000 kilograms of fish for fishmeal production and have released 90,000 predatory fish into water sources.