BANGKOK, March 4, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A Thai court on Tuesday accepted a class-action lawsuit filed by hundreds of fishermen seeking $73 million in damages from a agribusiness giant over invasive blackchin tilapia, a representative of the Thai lawyers' council said.

The alien species, native to West Africa, has been found in 19 provinces in Thailand, damaging ecosystems in rivers, swamps and canals, and last year the government declared its eradication a national priority.

As well as the ecological impact, authorities are concerned about the threat it poses to the Thai fish-farming industry, one of the country's most crucial sources of income.

A Thai court agreed to hear the case against Charoen Pokphand (CP) on Tuesday, according to a member of the Lawyers Council of Thailand.

"Today, a civil court in Bangkok accepted the case filed by fishing professionals in Samut Songkhram who have been affected by tilapia," Somchai Armeen, a senior environmental lawyer at the council who is responsible for the case, said on his Facebook account.

The lawsuit, filed six months ago on behalf of more than 1,400 fishing professionals, accuses CP of introducing blackchin tilapia into Thailand by importing the species from Ghana in 2010, a statement from the council said.

The group demanded 2.48 billion baht ($73 million) in compensation, it added.

Charoen Pokphand is one of Thailand's largest conglomerates. Its founders, the Chearavanont brothers, are Thailand's second richest family, according to Forbes in 2024.

The company has faced increasing scrutiny over monopolistic practices, particularly after its merger with Tesco in 2020.