Trawler captains face massive fine after catching whale shark

[rooster59]

Trawler captains face massive fine after catching whale shark

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM, 
SALINEE PRAB 
THE SUNDAY NATION

 

 

THE CAPTAINS OF two trawlers accused of having fished an endangered pregnant whale shark off the coast of Phuket potentially face a heavy fine of up to Bt3 million and confiscation of their vessels, according to authorities.

 

Fisheries Department and Marine and Coastal Resources Department yesterday promised to take swift action against the captains of Saeng Samut 2 and Saeng Samut 3 trawlers, for their alleged violation of the Fisheries Decree and Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act by catching a whale shark.

 

A tourist dive boat on Friday found the trawler Saeng Samut 3 carried on-board a whale shark, which later was found to be pregnant. A video clip, which has been widely shared on social media, showed that after being pressured to release the shark, the fishermen used a crane to pick it up and push it over the vessel to dump it back to the sea.

 

The witnesses aboard the dive boat said the mother shark was badly injured and her unborn shark baby was seen falling out of the mother’s belly. It is unclear whether the sharks survived.

Fisheries Department director-general Adisorn Promthep said that based on the report of the event, officers had inspected the vessels after they tied up at the Phae Saeng Arun Phuket fishing pier and determined the identities of the trawler captains, Somsamai Meechom and Rattana Phromngam.

 

The officers have filed complaints with the police against Somsamai, Rattana and other suspects, asking that they be charged with catching a whale shark and bringing it on-board, which is a violation of Article 66 of Fisheries Decree, Adisorn said.

 

“The offenders under this charge are subject to punishment of a Bt300,000 to Bt3 million fine, while the fishing licences for these vessels would be revoked and they are also permanently banned from applying for a new fishing licence,” he said.

 

“Currently, the officers have already seized the trawlers and confiscated catches and fishing equipment, and if the vessels are found to have been used in a serious crime as per the Fisheries Decree, the court can order confiscation of the vessels as well.”

 

Marine and Coastal Resources Department director-general Jatuporn Buruphat said the vessels’ location data from Port In–Port Out (PIPO) Control Centres in Phuket showed that the pair of trawlers did not fish in a restricted area.

 

However, from the clear evidence of a whale shark having been caught, they not only violated the Fisheries Decree, but also the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act, since whale sharks are on the list of protected animal. The suspects are thus open to a four-year imprisonment and a Bt40,000 fine if convicted, Jatuporn said.

 

“Our agency has the power to file a complaint on the offence of killing a protected animal, and as of now I have ordered the officers to gather all evidence to sue this case with the police,” he said.

 

He also said that the team of officers from Marine and Coastal Resources Department was working with the navy to search for the whale shark, while he will go to Phuket to carry out an inspection on the issue himself.

 

Somsamai, the captain of Saeng Samut 3, said his trawler caught a very heavy marine animal, while fishing off the coast of Phuket on Friday afternoon, but they did not know that it was a whale shark, so the workers brought in aboard the vessel.

 

“After we found that it was actually a whale shark, we were trying to return it back to the sea. But it was too heavy to carry, so we had to use a crane to pick it up,” Somsamai said.

 

“We all know that catching a whale shark is a criminal offence, but we caught it by accident and did not intend to harm it.”

 

The whale shark is the world largest fish. It is harmless to humans, and consumes only plankton.

 

The status of whale sharks around the world has raised concern as their numbers rapidly dwindle. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List and it is internationally protected under CITES.

 

Banjong Nasae, Thai Sea Watch Association president, said it was not the first time trawlers had caught rare marine animals out at sea, and this incident clearly showed that trawlers are destructive to the marine ecosystem and need to be more tightly controlled.

 

Banjong said that if no one had noticed that this trawler carried a whale shark, there was the possibility that the crew would not have returned it to the sea but instead sold it in the market as many parts of a whale shark are valuable.

 

“It is clear that our regulations to monitor fishing activities of trawlers are still weak and allow these destructive fishing vessels to cause damage to the ocean’s ecosystem, so stricter control on trawlers is required to make sure that our fishing industry will be sustainable,” Banjong said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30345820

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-20

[anon789561]

they accidentally caught one whale shark and let it go the best they could. saying they would have kept it and sold it in local markets if they hadn't been seen is BS. 

[stevenl]

I hope they are fined big, big time. This must end.

[Get Real]

1 hour ago, Happy enough said:

they accidentally caught one whale shark and let it go the best they could. saying they would have kept it and sold it in local markets if they hadn't been seen is BS. 

Probably not BS.

 

Just now, stevenl said:

I hope they are fined big, big time. This must end.

300K-3M baht? Do you believe that is a good fine? Just compare it to many people killing a person, and then maybe they get a fine of 500K-1M baht. Ok, the whales are much more expensive. 

[Darcula]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

It is clear that our regulations to monitor fishing activities of trawlers are still weak and allow these destructive fishing vessels to cause damage to the ocean’s ecosystem

Sorry, but wasn't this already taken care of before the latest IUU report?

 

 

 

 

 

[Oziex1]

As sad as this story is, it is not the real issue facing the Thai fishing industry. Although we would be unaware of the frequency of accidental or otherwise the catching of these creatures.

 

Rampant over fishing and exploitation of foreign labour remain the key issues, when these will be addressed remains to be seen.

[Oziex1]

10 minutes ago, Darcula said:

Sorry, but wasn't this already taken care of before the latest IUU report?

 

 

 

 

 

You gotta love that, planning to propose it's not happening anymore. Because we say so! Well ok they didn't say, they just planning to propose to say that. How about a MOU with the fish, that oughta do it.

 

And still it goes on.

[smedly]

Marine protection agency again, smoke a ciggie on an open air beach properly using an ashtray and get jailed for a year

 

These people need to be seriously dealt with, and they were caught, how many more are not caught

 

disgusting  

[anon789561]

24 minutes ago, Get Real said:

Probably not BS.

 

300K-3M baht? Do you believe that is a good fine? Just compare it to many people killing a person, and then maybe they get a fine of 500K-1M baht. Ok, the whales are much more expensive. 

no. speaking as the son in law of a man who owns a lot of boats and no way could you pass on whale shark. at least not around here. maybe there it's different

[anon789561]

fishing eh. let's leave the whole burmese fishermen out of it for now. i could post photos and videos to prove my point but won't. i'll just say it how it is. so around 20 years ago it was a local business. boats would come in and you'd sort the fish per value and whack them in freezer containers and send them to hatyai and bkk. the sea was plenty. then a huge yard is built by the chinese. yes, not thai, chinese. every half hour they are unloading fish into their yard. like a chain. the thais was every 6 hours or so. there's still plenty but it's time to start thinking about the future. that's not thais <deleted> it up, they care about their seas, it's foreign investors

[stevenl]

51 minutes ago, Get Real said:

Probably not BS.

 

300K-3M baht? Do you believe that is a good fine? Just compare it to many people killing a person, and then maybe they get a fine of 500K-1M baht. Ok, the whales are much more expensive. 

No, I don't believe this is a good fine, it is too low. It should be high enough to take them out of business, and their boats should be scuttled as an artificial reef.

 

This should be used as a deterrent to others.

[smedly]

29 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

no. speaking as the son in law of a man who owns a lot of boats and no way could you pass on whale shark. at least not around here. maybe there it's different

I don't quite understand your post

 

It was one of my best experiences ever to not pass on one of these majestic harmless creatures 

 

"at least not around here"  do explain and I hope it is not what I think your comment might mean

[anon789561]

7 minutes ago, smedly said:

I don't quite understand your post

 

It was one of my best experiences ever to not pass on one of these majestic harmless creatures 

 

"at least not around here"  do explain and I hope it is not what I think your comment might mean

what i mean is, it's all fishing here. the family business. well that and birds nest and around here they would not sell whale shark. absolutely not. i don't know about the people running those boats so couldn't say if they would or would not. the seas and the fish are very well respected among people here

[limbos]

24 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

what i mean is, it's all fishing here. the family business. well that and birds nest and around here they would not sell whale shark. absolutely not. i don't know about the people running those boats so couldn't say if they would or would not. the seas and the fish are very well respected among people here

It's not clear where you are located but are you also saying that the  Saeng Samut 2 and Saeng Samut 3 trawlers, their captains and crew are not locals or that Phuket trawler captains and crew don't care for the ocean in contrast to whre ever you are located?
Your posts and comments are fairly incoherent and don't really make sense.

[anon789561]

2 minutes ago, limbos said:

It's not clear where you are located but are you also saying that the  Saeng Samut 2 and Saeng Samut 3 trawlers, their captains and crew are not locals or that Phuket trawler captains and crew don't care for the ocean in contrast to whre ever you are located?
Your posts and comments are fairly incoherent and don't really make sense.

paknam, chumphon

[anon789561]

5 minutes ago, limbos said:

It's not clear where you are located but are you also saying that the  Saeng Samut 2 and Saeng Samut 3 trawlers, their captains and crew are not locals or that Phuket trawler captains and crew don't care for the ocean in contrast to whre ever you are located?
Your posts and comments are fairly incoherent and don't really make sense.

i thought the posts were pretty clear. i said nothing about those on that boat but thought they probably released it. certainly would not have been able to sell it in most places, maybe amongst the burmese but there will always be a thai watching as they unload. incoherent eh? you can read right?

[sfokevin]

Yup... Sure looks like they were trying to return it to the sea... 

 

[keeniau96]

Whale sharks are very distinctive when you see them underwater, and even at a distance from the surface. Just lovely large vacuum cleaners sucking up the plankton. Totally harmless and great attraction for scuba divers. 

[Somtamnication]

I really hope they are fined and lose the trawlers. What a lovely day that will be! 

[humbug]

40 minutes ago, sfokevin said:

Yup... Sure looks like they were trying to return it to the sea... 

 

exactly, they only put it back into the sea knowing they were caught. 

 

Over fishing and illegal fishing from countries with little or no rule of law is destroying the seas. They use so many destrying nets which scoop everything up and little is done to stop this. Slavery is another issue which is also relevant but destruction of sea stocks is far more important an issue as thete are more and more humans roming this planet and less and less sea animals left.

[anon789561]

1 minute ago, humbug said:

exactly, they only put it back into the sea knowing they were caught. 

 

Over fishing and illegal fishing from countries with little or no rule of law is destroying the seas. They use so many destrying nets which scoop everything up and little is done to stop this. Slavery is another issue which is also relevant but destruction of sea stocks is far more important an issue as thete are more and more humans roming this planet and less and less sea animals left.

that's the same as what happened in the north seas in the uk. they realised they were depleting the stocks and laws were put in place that worked. the sea really is good at bouncing back. same here just a few years behind

[smedly]

I don't know for sure but I suspect these fishermen were caught red handed doing what they intentionally were doing, shark fin is worth a small fortune in Asia and these beautiful animals have very very big fins, if what I suspect is right then these scumbags deserve more than what is coming to them

 

Just like the Japanese whalers who hunt down defenceless intelligent creatures in the southern seas in the name of scientific research - it makes me feel ashamed  

[anon789561]

2 minutes ago, smedly said:

I don't know for sure but I suspect these fishermen were caught red handed doing what they intentionally were doing, shark fin is worth a small fortune in Asia and these beautiful animals have very very big fins, if what I suspect is right then these scumbags deserve more than what is coming to them

 

Just like the Japanese whalers who hunt down defenceless intelligent creatures in the southern seas in the name of scientific research - it makes me feel ashamed  

yes i get that. but fin fisherman are after small sharks and i hate it too. my mrs eats that soup, long argument. i think they caught it by accident. would be hard to bring that ashore without criticism. the fact it's in the news should register even on the smallest brains

[Cabradelmar]

The near total disregard for the environment and conservation by all counties is a travesty. I wish Thailand would start acting more like Costa Rica. There is massive unlocked potential in making Thailand an Eco-friendly state. There is still so much natural beauty here, if only there were the political will, that to position Thailand as the ultimate paradise. A pipe dream I know ☹️

[anon789561]

1 minute ago, Cabradelmar said:

The near total disregard for the environment and conservation by all counties is a travesty. I wish Thailand would start acting more like Costa Rica. There is massive unlocked potential in making Thailand an Eco-friendly state. There is still so much natural beauty here, if only there were the political will, that to position Thailand as the ultimate paradise. A pipe dream I know ☹️

it's not a pipe dream. it will take time but i have faith that they'll sort their shit out

[stevenl]

10 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

yes i get that. but fin fisherman are after small sharks and i hate it too. my mrs eats that soup, long argument. i think they caught it by accident. would be hard to bring that ashore without criticism. the fact it's in the news should register even on the smallest brains

Disagree.

 

They saw it and thought their ship had come in. Now they have to face the consequences, hope they are harsh.

[smedly]

14 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

yes i get that. but fin fisherman are after small sharks and i hate it too. my mrs eats that soup, long argument. i think they caught it by accident. would be hard to bring that ashore without criticism. the fact it's in the news should register even on the smallest brains

well I would assume they would not be bringing it ashore in Thailand but it's all guesses and gut feel and gut wrenching to see, I honestly believe this was no accident but who knows, what I do know is if there is money to be made then anything is possible

[metisdead]

A post has been removed:

 

8) You will not post disruptive or inflammatory messages, vulgarities, obscenities or profanities.
 

[anon789561]

2 minutes ago, smedly said:

well I would assume they would not be bringing it ashore in Thailand but it's all guesses and gut feel and gut wrenching to see, I honestly believe this was no accident but who knows, what I do know is if there is money to be made then anything is possible

there is that

[duanebigsby]

41 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

that's the same as what happened in the north seas in the uk. they realised they were depleting the stocks and laws were put in place that worked. the sea really is good at bouncing back. same here just a few years behind

The sea isn't as good at bouncing back as you might think. Look at the Cod fishing collapse of 1990.

Stocks now are about 1% of 1977 stocks. It has never rebounded.