Sailfin Catfish Hunted Again, Jakarta Central City Government to Dry Up River Beside Plaza Indonesia This Friday

Central Jakarta City Government will once again control the population of sailfin catfish in the river on the south side of Plaza Indonesia Mall, Menteng, on Friday (17/4/2026). Unlike before, this capture will involve drying the river flow first to make the fish easier to catch while also searching for eggs to suppress population growth. Central Jakarta Mayor Arifin said the cleanup is scheduled to begin at 07:00 WIB using a method different from the previous capture, which only used nets. “Tomorrow (Friday) we will try drying the water first. We can scoop them up easily, including those inside the riverbank walls,” he explained. In addition to catching the fish, officials will also search for sailfin catfish eggs to prevent population increases. According to Arifin, this step is part of efforts to control the numbers so they do not rise again. He added that similar cleanups will continue regularly because the characteristics of rivers in Central Jakarta vary. “For example, in the Pasar Baru River, it’s a bit deep, so perhaps using nets. We will see the river conditions, so the strategies will differ,” Arifin explained. For information, the river south of Plaza Indonesia is part of the Cideng channel. The Central Jakarta City Government previously caught 40 sailfin catfish at the location on Friday (10/4/2026). Head of the Central Jakarta Food Security, Forestry, and Agriculture Sub-Department (KPKP) Halimah said that the total catch at that time was 40 fish. The caught fish were then killed and buried. According to her, the presence of a large number of fish could attract residents to fish or take them directly. Therefore, the capture is carried out to prevent crowds. Meanwhile, dozens of sailfin catfish were still seen filling the river flow on the south side of Plaza Indonesia Mall, Central Jakarta, on Thursday afternoon. The presence of those large-sized fish attracted the attention of passersby, even though the government had previously conducted a capture at the same location. Kompas.com observations showed the black-coloured fish appearing to stay in the water, both on the north and south sides near the river edge walls. Several fish were also seen at the bottom of the river in the middle section.