A new threat in Southeast Asia

Jakarta’s rivers and canals are facing an unprecedented ecological threat caused by a population explosion of the sucker-mouth catfish, locally known as « sapu-sapu » or broomfish.

Native to the tropical waters of South America and belonging to the genus Pterygoplichthys, this bottom-dwelling species has crossed oceans to become the dominant, or even sole, species in Indonesia’s most polluted aquatic ecosystems.

Its exceptional resilience allows it to thrive where others perish, drastically reducing populations of native fish such as the Asian redtail catfish, the spotted barbel, and the striped snakefish.

Faced with this aggressive colonization, Adnan Hussain, Director General of the Fisheries Department, is sounding the alarm: despite intensive control efforts, the situation has reached a « critical level. »

This cleaner fish is now classified among the most destructive species, capable of physically altering riverbanks by digging nests and disrupting the food chain by consuming the eggs of local species.

Without a massive eradication strategy and a radical improvement in water quality, authorities fear a total disappearance of the original aquatic biodiversity of the Indonesian capital in favor of this armored invader.