Fisheries Department is closing off Gulf of Thailand for 3 months to allow marine life to reproduce

The Fisheries Department is "closing" the Gulf of Thailand for 3 months in order to conserve mackerel and other economically significant marine animals in the waters.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan (สุดารัตน์ เกยุราพันธุ์) chaired the ceremony for the 3-month closure of the 26,400 square kilometers Gulf of Thailand section in the waters off Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, and Surat Thani. The ban on fisheries is scheduled between February 15th to May 15th would allow for marine creatures, especially mackerels, to lay eggs.

During this time period, the Fisheries Department's special-purpose center would regulate fisheries so the activities would not disturb the reproductive cycle of marine life.

Various fisheries gears are also banned from usage during the period, but small-scale gears used by locals would not pose a problem.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 16 Febuary 2006

A long overdue measure, but after 3 months, all will be back to 'normal'?

And how are chances of this being implemented successfully?

If it is that bad, and I can believe it, it will take a lot longer than 3 months

to recover.

I wonder how they plan to enforce the ban, with their little popgun boats?

I hope this is an annual event and not just an emergency measure.

If it is that bad, and I can believe it, it will take a lot longer than 3 months

to recover.

I wonder how they plan to enforce the ban, with their little popgun boats?

Ah, they will allow the mighty HMS Chakri Naruebet to set sail and patrol the waters.

I hope it doesn't give the jellyfish opportunity to reproduce.

I hope it doesn't give the jellyfish opportunity to reproduce.

I think that a fairly small bribe applied to the right PM could probably get you a gov't ban on jellyfish reproduction. Another possibility which would require a much larger bribe which would have to include PM's, police, and military, would be a gov't crackdown on jellyfish reproduction. The reason that this would take so much money is that you would have to outbid other lobbyists who are pushing for Thailand as the hub of jellyfish reproduction....goodness knows why!!

Fisheries Department is closing off Gulf of Thailand for 3 months to allow marine life to reproduce

snip ...

Various fisheries gears are also banned from usage during the period, but small-scale gears used by locals would not pose a problem.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 16 Febuary 2006

So what makes all the locals less likely to be a problem? It will be a boom to them with reduced competition. Or are they all going to sit around playing checkers?