West Jakarta Agency Captures Over 2,000 Suckermouth Catfish in 2026

The West Jakarta Food Security, Marine and Agriculture Agency (Sudin KPKP) captured and destroyed 2,927 suckermouth catfish, weighing a total of 1,053 kilograms, during the period from April to 6 August 2026. Head of the West Jakarta Sudin KPKP, Bety Rohmawati, stated that the captures were carried out in several rivers and reservoirs, including Kali Anak Taman Semanan Indah (TSI), Bojong Reservoir, the Pesanggrahan River, the Angke River, the Mookervart River, the West Flood Canal, and the Olimo River. “This is done to suppress the population of the invasive suckermouth catfish, which breeds and disrupts the habitat of other fish in the river streams,” Bety said when confirmed in Jakarta on Monday. According to her, the capture was conducted manually using nets. The caught fish were then immediately destroyed by breaking their necks and buried at the Semanan Flona Centre and the Kembangan Agricultural Extension Centre (BPP). “The catch is immediately destroyed to prevent unscrupulous individuals from processing it into illegal food products, such as siomay,” Bety said. For context, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is committed to massively controlling the suckermouth catfish population because the fish is considered invasive and dominates nearly 60 per cent of Jakarta’s aquatic biota. Furthermore, the suckermouth catfish is also deemed to damage river ecosystems, prey on local fish eggs, and bore holes into embankments or damage flood control infrastructure.