pla salid (ปลาสลิด)

Thai. Name of a true native freshwater fish of Thailand, with the scientific designation Trichogaster pectoralis. It has a compressed, oblong body, that grows to an average of size of 16–21 centimeters in length, though it can naturally grow up to 24 centimeters long. It has a small mouth with thick lips, directed upward, and −akin to the Climbing Perch (fig.)− possesses a labyrinth organ, which allows the fish to breathe directly from the air. The pectoral fin is large, and the first soft ventral fin ray is prolonged into a long filament reaching to the posterior end of anal fin. In males, the tip of the dorsal fin is pointed and extends beyond the caudal base, whereas in females the tip is rounded and does not reach the caudal base. The caudal fin is slightly emarginated. The body is silvery-grey with a yellowish shine and dark stripes that run obliquely from the back to the belly, as well as black spots located on the centre of these stripes, that together form a irregular band running along the entire length of the body like a thick dotted line. The fish is nearly a whole year round breeder, in average spawning twice a year with a total of eggs being laid out being up to 62,000 annually. Hence, it is an appreciated food fish. Traditionally, it is salted and sun-dried (fig.) before being consumed with rice, usually as deep fry fish. It is a famous aquatic product of Samut Prakan province, which in the early sixties changed from rice cultivation to fish farming production, yielding a far higher income than rice production as the area is the less suitable for rice production. According to the Department of Fisheries, the annual production of Trichogaster pectoralis did at some point reach over 20,000 tons, which amounts to about 40–50 percent of the total freshwater fish farming production of Thailand, though due to the encroachment of industrial and other economic activities, such as housing projects, the production of Trichogaster pectoralis has more recently declined to about 13,000 tons and now covers only about 20 percent of the total freshwater fish farming production. Naturally, this fish species is widely distributed and common in swamps, canals, lakes and rice fields, as well as in any shallow water and sluggish current of the central plain of Thailand. It is an indigenous species and its distribution extends to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, whereas it is naturally absent from the southern peninsula, as well as from northern and western Thailand, yet it has artificially been introduced in other countries. Sun-dried fish production is widespread in Southeast Asia (fig.), processing different kinds of fish, both fresh and salt water species, and in Bangkok Talaat Tha Tian (ตลาดท่าเตียน), a large indoor dry fish market, is located adjacent and to the west of Wat Poh, along the Chao Phraya River. In English, pla salid is commonly known as Snakeskin Gourami. 回