Making merit by releasing fish is a popular activity among Thai people because it is believed that releasing fish will extend life, help them live a good life and prevent sickness. Since people nowadays do not have much time to buy fish at the market, some vendors prepare fish in plastic bags and sell them at temples or places of merit-making, so that people can conveniently buy and release them in a pond nearby.
Buying fish from vendors to make merit raises questions as to whether releasing fish in this manner is merit and if it is appropriate from an environmental perspective.
To discuss these questions, the Department of Humanities, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Mahidol University organised the forum "How to Release Fish to Gain Merit" via zoom and Facebook MURESD (Mahidol Religion and Ethics for Sustainable Development).
Assoc Prof Pairin Katipommarat, a lecturer from the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the Faculty of Humanities at Kasetsart University, kicked off the forum by telling a story about releasing fish during the time of Lord Buddha.
"Sariputta, a disciple of Lord Buddha, predicted that novice monk Tissa, who was Sariputta's student, would die in seven days. Sariputta told Tissa to return home to spend his remaining time with his family. While Tissa walked home, he happened to see a fish about to die in a dry pond. Out of compassion, Tissa scooped the fish up from the dry pond and released it into a river. After seven days, Tissa was still alive. Sariputta explained that Tissa did not die because he gained merit from releasing the fish."
Assoc Prof Pairin explained that although the story of Tissa is often published in media, it does not appear in Tripitaka.
"The essence of making merit by releasing fish is saving lives through compassion. Additionally, another essence of releasing fish is to value the life of others. In this cycle of rebirth, we are not alone. We have fellow human beings in this cycle, so we should interact compassionately with others and recognise the value of others."
Assoc Prof Pairin commented that releasing fish from vendors is fast merit. "Fast merit is similar to fast food which might not be nutritious, but it can be emotionally satisfying."
Jidapa Koomklang, a lecturer from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Mahidol University, explained that in the past, people believed that releasing fish would save or redeem lives. Releasing fish currently has become more of a business and the belief has changed. People choose to release specific kinds of fish that they believe will bring good luck.
"One news report showed a monk who had posted photos of many eels on the temple pier steps because they were trying to find the river bank. Eels need to live in mud, so they were trying to find it, but in this case, there was no mud for them to survive in. The photo showed the impact of releasing aquatic creatures into an incompatible environment which causes negative effects on both the creatures and the environment," explained Jidapa.
Jidapa pointed out that if people do not have knowledge about species that they release into water, they may release invasive alien species to the environment. According to the Department of Fisheries, some invasive alien species include the sucker catfish, red-eared slider, blackchin tilapia and Mayan cichlid.
Jidapa explained the negative impact of invasive alien species on the environment.
"These invasive alien species are predators. They compete for food sources and habitats of the native fish. They may carry diseases and germs that can impact human health. They disturb or destroy the ecosystem and cause an imbalance in the food chain. Over time, they decrease the diversity of aquatic creatures and plants," said Jidapa.
"Additionally, invasive alien species can cause genetic changes which lead to hybridisation. This hybridisation can cause a low survival rate of the offspring. If the hybrid offspring grow rapidly, fish species that are economically important to the country could decrease."
Asst Prof Theerapat Ungsuchaval, the host of the forum and lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Mahidol University, asked Assoc Prof Pairin how people can make merit correctly.
Assoc Prof Pairin emphasised that the essence of releasing animals is saving a life through compassion. He questioned if releasing animals, such as fish, causes problems, should people stop releasing them? He also suggested people make merit by donating money to an animal foundation instead.
"In Buddhism, any action is considered right or wrong, good or bad based on two factors: intention, whether it is bad or good, and the results -- whether they cause harm or benefit -- to others or oneself. When people want to release living creatures, they have good intentions, but they should consider if releasing these animals will benefit others. In the cycle of rebirth, we are all human beings, so we should consider if releasing living creatures will have a negative impact on others," said Assoc Prof Pairin.
"For vendors, it is difficult for their action to be a correct merit-making practice because their intention is to catch fish and keep them in captivity. Their action is harmful and immoral. To make it right, vendors must catch fish with the intention of helping people who do not have time to make merit. They also have to take care of the animals properly. Honestly, I am not sure that this kind of action can gain merit."
From the perspective of environmentalists, Jidapa explained three factors people should consider when releasing aquatic animals. These three factors consist of the fish species, the characteristics of the water source and environmental fertility.
"It is fine to release local species such as the barb, the climbing perch, the snake-head fish and the broadhead catfish. People must know the fish species they release and must know whether they are freshwater or seawater fishes. If people want to release frogs, they must be aware that there are land frogs, water frogs and sea frogs," explained Jidapa.
People should also consider characteristics of the water source. Is the source still water or flowing water and what is the quality of the water source? For example, Mekong catfish should not be released in a canal because it is large and should be released in a large river. Eels should be released in a water source where the current is not strong and there is soil where they can dig burrows to live in. Before releasing aquatic creatures, people should observe the environmental fertility. Don't release aquatic animals into a polluted environment."
Jidapa showed a poster created by the Department of Fisheries which displays aquatic creatures that are prohibited to be released such as Procambarus clarkii (a type of freshwater lobster), butterfly peacock bass and arapaima gigas.
People can see more prohibited species at 4.fisheries.go.th. The Department of Fisheries suggests that if anyone finds or purchases a fish and is not sure whether it is an alien species, he/she should take that aquatic animal to the Department of Fisheries instead of releasing it into a water source.
The final question at the forum is can people gain merit from releasing digital fish? Assoc Prof Pairin also answered this question.
"In Buddhism, merit is determined by the intention and if the result is beneficial to others. Only when killing in a game is considered a sin, will releasing digital fish be a means of gaining merit, but I don't think it will be."
