Bangkok Post – Merit-making practice prompts environmental concern

The Department of Fisheries has expressed concern at the release of freshwater animals as a way to make merit and urged people to think more carefully about the impact on local ecosystems.

Releasing freshwater animals into natural water sources such as rivers and canals is often considered a good deed among Buddhists, especially on special occasions like Songkran.

However, fisheries department’s chief Bancha Sukkaew on Saturday warned that what are intended to be acts of kindness pose a danger to the natural balance, as the release of these “alien species” can have an unpredictable impact.

Giant catfish should be released only into large reservoirs or the Mekong River, while eels prefer to live in…