Director-general Maitree Duang-sawat, together with department officials and veterinarians visited the aquarium after participating in the opening of "Marine Turtle Preservation Year 2006", taking place at the shopping mall, following news reports about the large number fish dying in the aquarium.

The officials said they were shocked as they watched aquarium staff remove two Arowana fish, also known as dragon fish, from the aquarium. Moreover, many other fish appeared to be carrying wounds, he said.

Maitree said the condition of the fish was probably due to poor transportation, management and water systems and problems with the feeding process. Also, it was found many small fish were kept with sharks - which might be another cause of death among them.

"The aquarium needs serious monitoring. We have learnt that sick fish are just left to die because it costs more to treat the fish than buy new ones," he said, adding that because of the sub-standard management some veterinarians at Siam Ocean World planned to quit soon.

He said the department would find out where the dying fish had been purchased to ensure they had been caught legally. 

The department is also planning to hold a meeting with aquarium operators from around the country about the standard of aquarium management.

Kantaporn Tongman, marketing manager of Siam Ocean World, denied all the accusations about poor management at the facility saying that the aquarium was run in line with the international standards used by Oceanis Australia Group. Siam Ocean World is a subsidiary of the Australian group, which has operated aquariums for more than 15 years.

"The staff removed the Arowana from the tank in order to clean it, not because they were dying," she insisted.

She said the aquarium's water system was now in perfect condition after passing through the initial operating period when 10 per cent of fish were expected to die in line with common practice. However, the fish death toll never reached the predicted number, Kantaporn said.

"Everything is normal. Any death now is caused only by the fish's life span," she said.

All sick marine animals are well treated in a curator tank, she said, and insisted that buying new stock was  more expensive than curing them as most of the fish in the aquarium were imported from the Philippines. Kantaporn said the aquarium employed many experts and veterinarians, both Thais and foreigners - and no one had quit so far.

Janjira Pongrai

Chatrarat Kaewmorakot

The Nation