Good intentions can sometimes be misguided. Thailand’s freshwater ecosystems this time of year are a testament to that. Ahead of the Buddhist holiday of Songkran, also known as the Thai New Year, which began on Saturday and ends on Monday, Thailand’s Department of Fisheries warned Buddhists thinking of releasing fish and turtles into local waterways—a popular practice known as “ploi pla” and believed to make merit, or bring good karma—that doing so would actually be a grave sin.