Gulf of Thailand closed to commercial fishing from June - July

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Gulf of Thailand closed to commercial fishing from June - July

BANGKOK, 28 May 2015 (NNT)-The Department of Fisheries will ban all commercial fishing in the Gulf of Thailand from June until July.

According to Department of Fisheries Director-General Joompol Sanguansin, the inner area of the Gulf of Thailand will be closed to all commercial fishing beginning this Friday. He claimed the dwindling number of marine life was caused by rising fishing activities.

Many fishermen have been using modified fishing tools that enable them to catch practically all marine life in the sea, leaving none to breed.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has enforced the ban in 8 provinces around the Gulf of Thailand, including Prajuab Khirikhan, Petchaburi, Samut Songkram, Samut Sakhon, Bangkok, Samut Prakarn, Chachoengsao and Chonburi, from June – July of each year until 2018.

The ban is expected to increase the number of fish and other types of marine life in the sea.

-- NNT 2015-05-28

[The Deerhunter]

Will 2 months a year really make a difference or is it just a paint job? I don't know. Just asking?

Edited May 28, 2015 by The Deerhunter

[Amir]

Will 2 months a year really make a difference or is it just a paint job? I don't know. Just asking?

Not at all. In a fish hatchery it takes around 2 month to get 10 gram marine fishes such as seabass or grouper. You will never be able to "repopulate" the golf of Thailand with a 2 month fishing ban.

Better control of the fishing boats nets, control of quotas and amount of fishing boats and fishing quotas reduction for a couple of years is the solution (example Tuna in the Mediterranean).

But again... corruption will be the main limit....

[FireMedic]

So that means I won't see any green lights at night in the gulf when I go back and forth to Singapore? Highly unlikely. I'll be sure to take video of the tens of thousands of boats that are there when I fly over.

[Crazy chef 1]

only purpose is to raise the prices for seafood during this two month...

[heybruce]

No problem, they'll just illegally fish in other waters, as they're doing now.

[tingtongfarang]

Its time we all stopped consuming seafood, i believe many of the oceans are dead beyond recovery already.

[ratcatcher]

"...from June until July."

From June UNTIL July. Isn't that just one month?

From June 1st until July 31st. Isn't that two months?

Whatever time, it is still not long enough for the gulf to recover from the tremendous overfishing that occurs daily.

One day, there just will not be anything left to fish.

Edited May 28, 2015 by ratcatcher

[ExPratt]

Is this just in time for EU inspection ?

[DLang]

all commercial fishing

And fishing for scientific purposes?

Some university heads might be persuaded to sponsor such scientific experiments as 'How many fish can you catch and sell during a 2 month period?'

[seajae]

maybe if they closed it from june 2015 till july 2016 we would see a major improvement but 2 months is a joke. For the gulf to re stock they need to bring in very strict controls, stop under size fish being taken, outlaw fine mesh nets, enforce the no take in protected areas, and have a closed season during the breeding season . Everything else they do is just a pathetic joke, the fishermen will never stop doing al the illegal taking they are now, too much money involved and no one gives a sh*t about the future.

[thesetat2013]

Will 2 months a year really make a difference or is it just a paint job? I don't know. Just asking?

June to July means only 1 month without fishing. Hardly enough time to repopulate the Gulf.

[Ulic]

A multi year moratorium is probably what is needed along with oversight and licensing of fishing

vessels. Then and on going yearly closure when fish species breed. Or just fish everything out

like Bluefin tuna around the world, the Cod in Atlantic Canada and cry when the good times end.

Then you can ask for full government subsidies because they did not regulate the industry properly.

On the positive side there will be less of a demand for Burmese slaves except for ships that fish

in foreign waters far from Thailand. Out of sight, out of the glare of the foreign spotlight.

[Gandtee]

And while they are at it, check all fishing boats for illegal nets and fishing tackle. Pie in the sky? Yeah. I think/know so.

[stoli]

Anything will help. Look athe clams sold at the Naklua Fish Market. Millions are not even 1/4 inch in size, with the shell on. Nothing left to grow full size..The Thai's have devastated their fishing industry by keeping every fish they keep, regardless of size. They will use a 3 inch fish to catch a 2 inch fish. In a country where so many livelihoods are provided by fishing, even two months is a long time. I would love to see the Thai's take a year off to learn sustainable fishing techniques, while the stocks of fish improve, but that is a pipe dream, and unaffordable. Can you imagine the Sports Fishing Industry this country could have if fish were allowed to thrive. It would be massive. Again, another dream.....Growing up fishing off the coast of California, I watched the fish also go from 3 feet to 7 inches, so the Thai's are not alone.

[quandow]

I lived in Washington State many years ago. In the 1990's, their salmon runs damn near died off. Washington residents have been working for more than 10 years to reverse the fate of salmon, and those efforts are beginning to pay off.

Two months? Pleeeeeeeeeeze . . .

[seajae]

same with the snapper in South Australia and port Phillip bay, they have closed seasons after it was almost decimated and now it is good again, they regulated the netters although they did virtually destroy the shark industry using nets. The govt needs to get serious and ban nets in the gulf if they want it to improve, they use nets that are that fine its not funny and they take everything they get in them.

[PETERTHEEATER]

Prachuap Khirikhan was already under a no fishing ban over April and May so two more months will make a four month continuous ban. I live on a river where small and medium size fishing boats moor yet daily I see them going down river to the port and open sea.

As with road regulations, if the rule is not policed and enforced it will be ignored.

There is still fish being landed and the hundreds of seafood restaurants in the area are still open although I admit that they are probably selling seafood brought up overnight from the south.

This is my view in the Hua Hin and Pranburi area.

[callaway]

June 30th until july 1st

[animatic]

No problem, they'll just illegally fish in other waters, as they're doing now.

Principally because their own waters are fished out

[angiolo]

One day there will be no fish and no oil . One bay there will be no fishermen . TOO BAD

[mango66]

So that means I won't see any green lights at night in the gulf when I go back and forth to Singapore? Highly unlikely. I'll be sure to take video of the tens of thousands of boats that are there when I fly over.

they said only prefessional !!

Who is professional in Thailand ??

[hawksway]

This is the shape for years to come as this backward Country begins to face harsh realities as it kicks of with this breeding ban for two Months. Plainly, this kind of ban will have to be expanded with very limited catches for years to come and culminating in the cessation of all trawling which is largely responsible the diminishing stocks of adult fish by sweeping the Ocean floor of all living creatures. Only line fishing and farming will be tolerated in the future. Many other Nations have been tailoring their fisheries policies in order to recover stocks - these include EU nations and Canada

As the saying goes - as you make your bed, so you must lay on it!

Not a happy future for Thailand's Fishing Industry which will see massive job losses.

[englishoak]

"...from June until July."

From June UNTIL July. Isn't that just one month?

From June 1st until July 31st. Isn't that two months?

Whatever time, it is still not long enough for the gulf to recover from the tremendous overfishing that occurs daily.

One day, there just will not be anything left to fish.

Talking of one day it probably starts on June 29th and finishes on July 1st

[Jonmarleesco]

Presumably it hasn't occurred to them to take action over the use of 'modified fishing tools'?

[gary94578]

The water in Chonburi is fished out of anything longer then 10cm. I see the fishing boats when they come into Chonburi and into Ang Sila. They have just small fish and not too many of them, They use fine nets to get these. Fishing form shore is a joke. There are no large fish to breed.

A big obstacle are the fixed nets surrounding the breeding areas. Many of these nets have been abandoned, not enough fish to make using them worth while. The nets made of monofilament and plastic last a long time and prevent a return of fish.

They stop any lager fish from getting into breed and block off the mangroves from fish.

The fishery off Chonburi has collapsed and a ban without removing the inshore nets will fail.

A short ban will not help as there are not fish to breed and any fish that move in are caught in shore fixed nets and left to rot.

Edited June 9, 2015 by gary94578