Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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buksida
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Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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The Department of Fisheries yesterday announced the closure of the Gulf of Thailand for three months to allow marine animals to breed.
The closure of part of the 320,000 square kilometers metres of the Gulf covers 26,400 square kilometres or 16.5 million rai off Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Surat Thani provinces.

Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Gen Patompong Prathompat said the closure was aimed at keeping the area for marine animals to breed, particularly mackerel, to lay eggs and nurse their young.

He said the area that is closed is considered the world’s kitchen and the country’s largest breeding place for marine animals.

Mackerel is vital to the country’s economy, he said and added that during the 3-month closure period, from February 15 to May 15, the use of some certain fishing gears to catch fish is prohibited.

Meanwhile Mr Meesak Pakdeepong, deputy director-general of the department, said past statistics showed that the closure could help to boost marine life populations.

He said that before the closure of the Gulf last year, fishermen reported catching 29,765 tonnes of marine animals.

But after the closure ended and fishermen were allowed to fish again, their catch rose to 38,695.84 tonnes.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/thaila ... als-breed/

Anyone going to tell the local fishing fleets who are still out there in force netting the entire ocean. :guns:
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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buksida wrote:he said and added that during the 3-month closure period, from February 15 to May 15, the use of some certain fishing gears to catch fish is prohibited.
A great eye catching headline, but how 'closed' is it?
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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It isnt, the fishing boats are still going out there. They try this every year, but every year it gets ignored bungs are probably paid to someone to turn a blind eye.
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

Post by Nereus »

There has been a lot of noise about forcing ALL fishing boats to be equipped with GPS monitoring transmitters. If this was carried out as it is supposed to be, then it would be a simple matter to monitor the closed area.

But then, I guess all the flying pigs would probably block the signal. :guns:
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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If the ruling is ignored/not enforced it is a great shame, we humans are destroying the earth with our over consumption and abuse of nature.
Scientists estimate that 150-200 species of plant, insect, bird and mammal become extinct every 24 hours. This is nearly 1,000 times the “natural” or “background” rate and, say many biologists, is greater than anything the world has experienced since the vanishing of the dinosaurs nearly 65m years ago.
UN Environment Programme
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

Post by HHTel »

Not sure how much of the gulf they can legally close. I would have thought Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia would have a say in that. Also isn't part of it classed as international water?
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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Unless they have agreement with other countries they could only close the Thai section.
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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They claim 12nm territorial zone, plus 200nm exclusive economic zone. What the rest of the world claims does not concern them!

http://www.marineregions.org/gazetteer. ... ls&id=8332
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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Good for Thailand, close the gulf and save nature at least a little
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

Post by deepee »

All great for the enviroment but what plans have the powers that be set up for the hundreds of thousands who earn a living from fishing and their lost incomes? Expect the crime rate to increase around the coastal towns.
And what are they going to offer in replacement to this food in the diet of the populace ?
Complexity is so simply overrated
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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Big Boy wrote:
buksida wrote:he said and added that during the 3-month closure period, from February 15 to May 15, the use of some certain fishing gears to catch fish is prohibited.
A great eye catching headline, but how 'closed' is it?
IMHO, it's probably a huge headline that will have little effect on the fish population or peoples jobs. Just quoting certain fishing gear is too loose to have any real meaning, and loopholes will be found.
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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When I was serving with the fishery protection around the uk, trawlers were stopped to have their nets checked. Below a certain guage an they were in court the next morning. I guess they'll apply something similar so that only adult fish are caught giving the fish time to 'regenerate'.
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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deepee wrote:All great for the enviroment but what plans have the powers that be set up for the hundreds of thousands who earn a living from fishing and their lost incomes? Expect the crime rate to increase around the coastal towns.
And what are they going to offer in replacement to this food in the diet of the populace ?
Read the original article, it DOES NOT state all fishing is banned it states
"during the 3-month closure period, from February 15 to May 15, the use of some certain fishing gears to catch fish is prohibited."
If you look at the fishing boats in Pranburi and even the ones that occasionally come into HH they take everything from the sea no matter how small. I would expect they will ban the use of fine nets so the young fish are not caught.
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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What ever they ban will make no difference unless it is policed and enforced. The fishing fleets will still be out there raping the ocean regardless.
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Re: Thailand closes Gulf 3 months to allow marine animals to breed

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buksida wrote:What ever they ban will make no difference unless it is policed and enforced. The fishing fleets will still be out there raping the ocean regardless.
Quite true. In every country it comes down to enforcement, here they cannot enforce road regulations so what chance will they have in the Gulf.
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