Phnom Penh - The dangerous "fresh water bird fish" has been banned from import and sale in Cambodia, said the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Wednesday.
A statement signed by minister Chhan Sarun said the fish originated from the Amazon region, but had recently been spotted in fish farms and markets around Phnom Penh.
"Research of expert authorities has determined it is a cruel fish from the piranha family that eats meat and is dangerous to human safety as well as other animals," said the statement which called on all institutions to cooperate on a crack down to eliminate the fish.
Continues Below ↓
"If this fish escapes from a pond into an open river it could destroy the local fish population as well as damage the ecosystem," it added.
'Maybe they're not dangerous to humans, but probably to the local species' For the past week, the Khmer language media has speculated on the dangers of the fish, thought to have been introduced to Cambodian markets by Vietnamese traders a few months ago.
Cambodian fisheries department head Nao Thuok said Tuesday that the real name of the fish was Colossoma Macropomum, better known as the Pacu. He downplayed the danger to people, but added that the fish with two rows of teeth could grow to one kilogramme in just six months.
"Maybe they're not dangerous to humans, but probably to the local species," said Nao Thuok. "If they reproduce in the wild, they could destroy the local species because they have a lot of teeth."
Since last week officials have confiscated 70 00 fingerlings from local farms, he said, and added the fisheries department was drafting a poster to inform farmers of the crackdown. - Sapa-dpa
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
