Phuket fisheries chief defends blacktip shark fishing, ‘not illegal’

[Jonathan Fairfield]

 

By Eakkapop Thongtub

 

PHUKET: Watcharin Rattanachoo, Chief of the Phuket Fisheries Office, has repeated his explanation that the fishing of blacktip reef sharks in areas not protected by law is not illegal.

 

The call follows photos of a haul of blacktip reef sharks at the Phuket Fishing Port circulating on social media overnight.

 

Mr Watcharin already confirmed to The Phuket News yesterday that the fishing of blacktip reef sharks in non-protected areas, although not liked by many people, is not illegal.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-fisheries-chief-defends-blacktip-shark-fishing-not-illegal-80397.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2021-06-20

 

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[2long]

Well, with Koh Phi Phi closed to diving for two months, who can be sure if these fishermen went in there or not? I know that every low season Richelieu Rock is covered in nets. Nets we divers need to remove in October!

[jak2002003]

So just stop the boat on the edge of a protected area and dump a load of shark bait into the water so all the sharks swim out and then you got them.

 

What morons want to eat endangered animals like this?

 

Blame the people eating the sharks and the restaurants selling it....no demand, no one will fish them. 

 

Is this guy seriously telling us it's fine to catch them? If you fed the sharks a slice of bread / hotdog, or took a photo with them you would probably get a harsh punishment....yet it's ok to catch, kill, sell them on a market, and eat them? ????

[Agusts]

Don't spread false information, these fish - happen to be sharks that you like for some reason - are not protected species here and legal to catch, no different to any other fish, and I'm pretty sure quite tasty....????

 

If somewhere else they have a different status, who cares, it does not apply in this country and to the fishing laws here , get over it ... ! 

 

 

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Mr Watcharin already confirmed to The Phuket News yesterday that the fishing of blacktip reef sharks in non-protected areas, although not liked by many people, is not illegal.

But don't touch a sea cucumber.

[sammieuk1]

Still surprised there's sharks here not just rocks ????

[TigerandDog]

They may not be protected now, but they are about to be added to the protected species list for Thailand.

 

Blacktip reef sharks get protected status as Environment Minister blasts video cruelty | Thaiger (thethaiger.com)

[lavender19]

4 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Still surprised there's sharks here not just rocks ????

There thousands of sharks here. Just not the aquatic variety

[Thingamabob]

6 hours ago, Agusts said:

Don't spread false information, these fish - happen to be sharks that you like for some reason - are not protected species here and legal to catch, no different to any other fish, and I'm pretty sure quite tasty....????

 

If somewhere else they have a different status, who cares, it does not apply in this country and to the fishing laws here , get over it ... ! 

 

 

Be ashamed...

[Tropposurfer]

I don't know if they do this in Phuket but the catching of sharks and cutting off their fins and then throwing them back alive in the water to sink and eventually drown is a terrible thing. 

I remember 30 years ago eating big lobsters in Phuket and other fish species cheaply and so fresh. Last time we ate lobster (a special birthday treat) it cost us a bomb! 

As a child in Manly we ate fish and chips with our grandparents nearly every Friday night as a family get-together. Bought from the Manly Fish Shop near the end of the Corso ... fresh as could be and delicious. We usually ate shark 'hake' and it was delicious.

I like my generation thought nothing of eating this species or any other nor did we worry about netting the beaches we swam and surfed at which killed a lot of creatures besides sharks.

The industrial fishing by huge ships with drag nets and other mass kill netting has decimated the world's fish stocks. I don't know what the answer is, or even if there is one. 

[JulesMad]

Maybe not illegal, but definitely immoral or amoral... Boycott every business which deals in shark-products. Don't count on government to do absolutely anything!

[Deli]

Thailands fishing industry has only one rule: today's profit. They don't give a f*** about tomorrow.

 

[bangon04]

There is no way to stop shark fishing... there is a huge market for shark fin...  we all know where that is, and where the profit comes from. 

 

Tiger penis, rhino horn, pangolin scales, elephant tusks, etc etc etc....

 

maybe some people care, but the buyers do not care.......and the fisherman / poachers care even less.....

[rasmus5150]

Why would anybody eat shark at all..??..??..

 

They are full of mercury.

 

 

[fdsa]

9 minutes ago, rasmus5150 said:

Why would anybody eat shark at all..??..??..

 

They are full of mercury.

 

 

chinese will eat just about anything if you tell them that it might enlarge their benis or raise their sexual potency.

[rasmus5150]

5 hours ago, fdsa said:

chinese will eat just about anything if you tell them that it might enlarge their benis or raise their sexual potency.

I heard that rat poison mixed with cyanide is like viagra on steroids.......????

[Salerno]

5 hours ago, rasmus5150 said:

Why would anybody eat shark at all..??..??..

 

Because they taste nice.