Pramono's Directive to All Mayors to Eradicate Sailfin Catfish in Jakarta

Efforts to control the sailfin catfish in Jakarta continue. DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has instructed all mayors to take direct action in eradicating the sailfin catfish.

Pramono stated that he will hold a special meeting with all mayors to discuss handling the sailfin catfish. The meeting is planned for the near future.

“In the near future, the DKI Jakarta government will hold a special meeting regarding the sailfin catfish because I will ask all mayors to handle this,” Pramono said in East Jakarta on Tuesday (14/4/2026).

Pramono explained that the sailfin catfish is an invasive species originating from South America with high resilience. Its presence is considered to disrupt the ecosystem balance by becoming a predator to local fish.

“Moreover, this fish comes from South America; they are very strong and then become predators to local fish, such as wader fish and others. They take all the food,” he said.

Sailfin Catfish Damages Infrastructure

In addition, the sailfin catfish is said to damage riverbank infrastructure by creating holes as habitats.

“And they damage the existing embankments because their homes are there,” he added.

Pramono emphasised that handling the sailfin catfish will be carried out seriously and in a coordinated manner across all of Jakarta. He hopes this step can serve as an example for other regions.

“We will handle this seriously because Jakarta, hopefully, can become a role model for it,” he stated.

Sailfin Catfish Ensured Dead Before Burial

Head of the DKI Jakarta Agriculture, Food Security, and Maritime Affairs Office, Hasudungan A Sidabalok, confirmed that sailfin catfish are dead before burial. He said this measure is taken because the sailfin catfish has a high survival ability.

“Because this fish has a high ability to survive, it is ensured to be dead before burial,” Hasudungan said when asked for confirmation on Monday (13/4).

He explained that the burial is also carried out in representative locations. This is to prevent the fish carcasses from being misused by irresponsible parties.

“And efforts are made to bury them in representative locations so that the fish carcasses are not misused,” he said.

Hasudungan confirmed that the sailfin catfish caught in the Cideng River, specifically in front of Plaza Indonesia some time ago, have been buried.