Large vessels banned from fishing during spawning season

PHUKET: Large fishing vessels will be banned from working in the southern Andaman Sea during the spawning season, from April 1 to June 30, the Fisheries Department announced yesterday.

About 4,696 square kilometers of fishing space will be closed off in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and Trang.

“According to our research, most marine life in the Andaman breeds between April and June. This is a vulnerable time for the marine ecosystem, as many juveniles and breeding adults can be caught,” says Saen Sringam, chief of the Krabi Fishery.

“Protecting young fish is essential, because it can help replenish fish stocks to later be harvested by the fishing industry. It can also boost the quality of marine tourism in the region. The most important fish are short-bodied mackerel (Pla Too). They are very important for the Thai economy, so by giving them time to breed, we will get much larger hauls in the future,” he added.

Though larger fishing boats are banned, local fishermen using nets that have meshing holes larger than 4.7cm wide will be allowed to continue fishing as usual during this time.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong