Locals were shocked when they spotted a school of invasive black chin tilapia fish streaming through a canal in Thailand.

Footage shows the creatures moving through the murky water in the capital Bangkok on August 14.

The species, native to Africa, has spread to waters in at least 13 Thai provinces, threatening local aquaculture and biodiversity by preying on smaller fish and shellfish.

Former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin previously vowed to eradicate the 'alien' animals by catching them and turning them into fertilizer.

Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompow also announced that the government will offer 15 baht for every kilogram of black chin tilapia caught, aiming to incentivise local fishermen and the public to accelerate their removal.

An agribusiness conglomerate imported 2,000 black chin tilapia from Ghana in 2010 to study their breeding patterns at its local research centre in Samut Songkhram.

The company later confirmed that the fish had died three weeks after arriving in Thailand and had been buried.

However, they began appearing in local waterways, where their growing population severely threatened native fish species.

[15 THB - 0.33 GBP]