FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Environmentalist urges Thais to stop eating home of clownfish

Environmentalist urges Thais to stop eating home of clownfish

Environmental academic Thon Thamrongnawasawat has urged Thais to stop harvesting Haddons sea anemone, which is the habitat of several species including clownfish.

Haddon's sea anemone is a delicacy popular in the South, where it is known as Hed Loop.

Speaking on Monday, one day ahead of World Oceans Day, Thon demanded that locals stop consuming the anemone, which is also a draw for tourists and divers.

He added that this marine species is unable to reproduce in farms, so those that live in the sea are important and should be researched further.

Haddon's sea anemone is classified as protected species in Thailand, along with coral, gorgoniidae and tridacna.

However, Thon said locals on Surat Thani’s Samui and Pha-ngan islands have been consuming the anemone for many years.

“Eating Hed Loop on a local scale is not a problem, but on a business scale it is worrying” he said, adding that increasing demand for the anemone had led to poaching of the species.

“Clownfish cannot live without their homes. And the anemone is not a main food of human beings. Thailand is not currently suffering famine when we would have no choice but to consume this sea creature. By law, Hed Loop is a protected species like the panther and wild ox, which means people are banned from hunting, selling or eating it,” he said.

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