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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Rebecca Ratcliffe

‘They ate the shrimp, they even ate the crab’: Thai fishers count the cost of a voracious invader

A pile of silvery-scaled dead blackchin tilapia fish with visible eyes and fins
Blackchin tilapia have been found in 19 provinces of Thailand, causing ecosystem damage and the decline of native species. Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA

The menu at Kor-Tae seafood restaurant, in Thailand’s Samut Prakan province, is filled with Thai classics – from tom yum talay, a fragrant hot and sour soup, to spicy larb salads. But the restaurant’s chef is also experimenting with a more controversial ingredient: blackchin tilapia.

“People are hesitant, but once they try it – [they say] it’s delicious,” says owner Adisorn Jamsuksaward, who has been offering the non-native fish free of charge to friends who request it.

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