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Report 4 of 4:
Phang-Nga
Bay Fish - Thailand
Introduction
Phang-Nga Bay used to be the most productive fishing area of Thailand. However, over recent years the natural coastal resources have suffered from environmental degradation. One of the major causes of this is the introduction of destructive fishing practices such as pushnet fishing, trawlers, and dynamiting which disturbs the sea bed and this in turn destroys the natural breeding areas for fish and marine animals.
A further factor affecting the environment is the destruction of mangrove forests. These forests are located in the brackish water margin between land and sea in tropical and subtropical areas. Their rich ecosystem provides an ideal environment for fish breeding, as well as a protective habitat for birds and crabs. Traditionally, trees were logged and the wood used to build village housing. In addition, the mangroves also support other ecosystems such as coastal fisheries, thereby indirectly sustaining a wide range of social and economic activities.
However modernisation and market changes in recent years have resulted in a dramatic reduction of mangrove forest and increased demand for fish. Much of the forest has been cleared for intensive shrimp farming. The beaches of Phuket and Phung Nga in South Thailand are an example of the effects of these recent changes. Tourists, attracted by their natural beauty, and the increasing worldwide demand for marine products have depleted the natural resources. The pressures have resulted in the degradation of the coastal environment and the loss of the main food source and income for the villagers.
Community Village Intervention
These environmental issues became a concern for the communities. The loss of environmental and economic resources led to conflict between the large and small-scale fishermen. To improve this situation the FAO/Bay of Bengal Programme started to implement a community-based fisheries management (CBFM) programme.
After workshop discussions with community leaders plans were initiated to conserve and replenish the fisheries resource. Villagers were encouraged to monitor and protect the muddy shallows in front of their houses. The areas were marked out with buoys and fishing was not allowed within these areas. These undisturbed areas developed as spawning grounds. Seagrass branches were collected, and then transplanted to build up nursery grounds suitable for various aquatic species, but especially the blue swimming crab, which has a high commercial value.
The villagers set up hatcheries where blue swimming crab and marine shrimp are produced. These are grown to a certain size, then gathered up and released into the seagrass areas. In these protected areas the crabs can grow to a harvestable size, thus providing a valuable and sustainable resource for the communities. Coastal aquaculture was also encouraged by using fish cage culture with fries of sea bass, red snapper and grouper. Occasional training was provided which aimed to improved the survival rates and income from fish sales.
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Packing of shrimp seeds for sea ranching |
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Further economic advantages have also come about through the development of a co-operative auction system. Before this was set up, the fishermen were exploited by middle-men who underpriced the quickly perishable catches. Now the fishermen have joined together to bring their catches of shrimp and fish to a central hut where it is sorted, graded and weighed. Large ice containers keep the catches fresh until the auction day. The auction site is rotated around the participating villages so that everyone gets a turn. As clients bid against each other for the produce better prices are obtained. The fishermen receive about 30% more at the auction than when they were selling to the middle-men. The extra cash in the community contributes to a revolving fund system, which gives the community to an opportunity to replace destructive fishing gear like push nets with more environmentally friendly gill nets.
With a greater involvement in these schemes the fishermen are now more aware of how they themselves can improve the stocks. For example if they use bamboo stake traps, which can catch every size of aquatic species, they are only selecting the marketable sized fish, and returning the young ones to the sea. They are keen to protect these resources conducting surveillance and patrolling for illegal push net fishing in front of their village during the night. Over 40 artificial reefs have been constructed and placed at the entrance of the Bay to keep trawlers and pushnetters out of the 3km restricted zone, and enable small-scale fishermen to increase their catch around the reefs.
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Construction of concrete cubes used as reefs |
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To involve the whole community schools have encouraged children to collect mangrove tree seedlings by paying them a small amount – around twenty stang. The children replant them in areas which had previously been cleared for shrimp farming. This simple process has a high success rate, so after a few years the results are encouraging.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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00100 Rome,
ITALY
Tel: +39 06 5705 1
Fax: +39 06 5705 3152
Website: http://www.fao.org/ |
ITDG would like to thank Janne Fogelgren for providing the original material on FAO’s Projects in Thailand.
This document is an output from a project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the DFID.
Further reading available from ITDG Development Bookshop
Alain Le Sann
A Livelihood from Fishing: Globalization and sustainable fisheries policies
£9.95 1998 ITDG ISBN: 1853393983
A Livelihood from Fishing provides an overview of fisheries and highlights the issues and policies underlying the current fishing crisis, as well as making innovative recommendations to protect and preserve this vulnerable resource and the people it affects. It will be of particular interest to the socially concerned consumer, environmentalists, policymakers, students and all others involved in the protection of marine environment and the plight of workers in the fisheries sector.
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