West Jakarta Food Security, Maritime and Agriculture Sub-District Office Maps Locations for Continued Eradication of Janitor Fish

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The West Jakarta Sub-District Office for Food Security, Maritime Affairs, and Agriculture (Sudin KPKP Jakbar) is mapping locations of waterways suspected to be habitats for janitor fish, for the implementation of subsequent eradication activities for the animal. Head of the Fisheries Section of Sudin KPKP West Jakarta, Aas Asih, stated that after the janitor fish eradication activity on Friday (17/4) in Kali Taman Semanan Indah (TSI), several other locations have been mapped. “So, there is Cengkareng Drain, then Kali Semongol, then Sekolah Narada, and also in several other points in eight sub-districts,” Aas said when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Monday. Nevertheless, Sudin KPKP Jakbar has not yet been able to confirm the timing of the next invasive fish eradication activity. “We hope that the activity is not just ceremonial, yes, there is a follow-up, like that. The points have already been mapped,” Aas stated. Furthermore, she explained that janitor fish have invasive characteristics, making them dangerous to other fish populations. “So, it usually reproduces very quickly, so local fish will be displaced,” Aas said. “Indeed, the nature of janitor fish is that it bores holes in walls for burrowing. So, it can damage the revetments of the channels in the Jakarta area,” Aas added. In addition, she noted that janitor fish are often hunted by certain individuals to be processed into food, such as siomay. However, she continued, the fish contains E. Coli or Salmonella bacteria, even heavy metals like lead. “It is concerning if the public consumes it (janitor fish processed food) continuously, the heavy metals accumulate, that’s why it must be eradicated,” Aas concluded.