Pramono Prepares Special PPSU Unit to Eradicate Sailfin Catfish in Jakarta

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is preparing special Public Facilities and Infrastructure Handling Officers (PPSU) to address the explosion in the population of sailfin catfish in the capital’s rivers. DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung stated that this step is being taken to ensure the handling of sailfin catfish can be carried out routinely and sustainably, not just through one-off operations. “We will continue and specifically, as I mentioned, Jakarta will have PPSU to periodically clean sailfin catfish in Jakarta. Because if not, Jakarta’s water ecosystem will certainly be damaged,” Pramono said when met in the Kebayoran area, Central Jakarta, on Sunday (19/4/2026). The population of sailfin catfish in Jakarta’s waters is currently very high and dominates the ecosystem. “Indeed, sailfin catfish in Jakarta’s water biota is already more than 60 percent,” he said. Previously, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government held a simultaneous river and water channel cleaning operation in five administrative city areas on Friday (17/4/2026). This activity was not just routine cleaning, but focused on capturing sailfin catfish whose population is increasingly out of control. From that operation, tens of thousands of sailfin catfish were successfully lifted from Jakarta’s waters with a total weight of around 6.98 tons. South Jakarta became the area with the largest catch reaching 5.3 tons. Meanwhile, in Central Jakarta, 576 fish were recorded, East Jakarta 763 kilograms, North Jakarta more than 200 kilograms, and West Jakarta 71 fish weighing 17 kilograms. Pramono emphasised that the eradication of sailfin catfish is being carried out because this species is considered to damage the balance of the river ecosystem and threaten the existence of local fish. “Why must this fish be cleaned? Because it has indeed damaged,” he said.