Dugong dies in illegal trap
PA KHLOK: A 126-kilogram male dugong was found dead in an illegal fish trap in Pa Khlok Bay on Monday.
The discovery was reported to the Phuket Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Office (MCRC) by Juroon Rachaphol, a local conservation activist, at 7:30 pm.
A 20-strong team of MCRC officers and volunteers were led to the site. They found the animal stuck in the bottom of a po, a shallow-water fish trap made by stringing a net between stakes stuck in the seabed. Po traps were outlawed in 1996.
MCRC Chief Paitoon Panchaiyapoom told the Gazette, “The dugong weighed 126kg, and was 1.5 meters in length. We found the owner of the fish trap the following day. He has used po traps for a long time and we must find alternative fishing methods for him. The traps, however, must be removed.”
Although the owner of the trap was ordered to remove all his po traps, he was not charged.
“Pa Khlok Bay is a very good grazing area for dugong. Local villagers have seen at least five dugong come to feed on sea grass here,” K. Paitoon said.
Kanchana Adulyanukosol, Thailand’s premier expert on dugong, estimates that only about 250 dugong inhabit Thai waters. The dead specimen was one of only a handful that are known to live in the area.
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