National report of preliminary investigation to estimate the abandon, lost, and discard gillnet and trap (pots) along the coast of Thailand (Phang Nga and Krabi province)

Abandoned, Lost, or otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) is widely recognized as a significant component of marine litter and has serious impacts on habitats, fish stocks, and other marine species. The Southeast Asian regional concern on marine debris including ALDFG has been raised in SEAFDEC Meetings. Therefore, SEAFDEC Training Department conducted a preliminary investigation to estimate the loss of gillnet and traps (pots) along the Coast of Thailand with support from FAO. One hundred and sixty (160) questionnaires were collected from 3 surveys conducted in Phang Nga and Krabi Province, Andaman Sea, Thailand. Results show that the estimated total trap loss is 5,154 traps/year with an associated economic loss of 64,805.08 USD/year. The estimated loss of gillnets is 458.50 units/year with an estimated associated economic loss of 13,467.14 USD/year. The main cause of the gillnet loss is nets becoming snagged on an obstruction, and the main cause of the trap (pot) loss is conflict with other gears. Researchers recommend expanding the survey to all coastal provinces of Thailand, both in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, and applying it to both small-scale and commercial-scale fisheries. The result could provide guidance for the development of management actions to reduce levels of ALDFG in the future

The Survey of Fish Enhancing Devices (FEDs) at the Coastal Areas of Thailand

Coastal waters of Southeast Asia are blessed with high productivity of fisheries resources because of rich ecosystems such as dense mangrove forests and sea grass beds, as well as extensive coral reefs with clean tropical sea environment. These areas are critical to a broad range of aquatic organisms during their life cycle from breeding, spawning, nursing and growing, hosting the feeding zones of aquatic species that are economically important, and serving as important source of recruitment of a wide diversity of fishery resources. However, commercially important fishery resources in the region have declined due to many factors that include overfishing, illegal fishing, use of destructive fishing practices, and environmental degradation. The artificial reef has been the significant tool for fishing ground development and increasing fisheries production of the small scale fisheries. However, regarding the cost of artificial reef installation has high investment and managed by government agencies. Fishers only involve in the identification of fishing ground. The fishers' ownership on fishing ground could not be generated as well as management through community approaches has not been able to promote effectively. One of the SEAFDEC’s missions is to seek for the appropriate tools to enhance coastal fishery resources together with awareness building on the community management as well as promoting a shifting of resources user to be resource manager through the installation of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) that costs cheaper investment than artificial reef. SEAFDEC has promoted the new design of Fish Enhancing Device (FEDs) since year 2009 and Thailand was reported as the first to introduce the use of FEDs. Until now, the utilization of FEDs in Thailand has widely spread throughout the coastal province of Thailand and is used in various designs. In order to update the information on the structure and design of FEDs and to seek for the significant factors of FEDs construction and design that different between local and fishing ground. Thus, SEAFDEC/TD in cooperation with Department of Fisheries, Thailand conducte

Study on Juvenile and Trash Excluder Devices (JTEDs) in Indonesia

The experiment was conducted during August 2002 in the Bintuni Bay, Arafura Sea of East Indonesia using the commercial double-rigged trawler in order to examine the releasing ability of Juvenile and Trash Excluder Devices (JTEDs) in bottom trawl. This experiment was in the serial study of using the JTEDs under the program of selective fishing gear and practice for responsible fishing, sponsored mainly by FAO/GEF project. Three types of JTEDs (Rectangular, Semi-curve and Rigid sorting grid JTEDs) with 40 mm bar spacing were used in this experiment as 40mm bar spacing has been shown the best results for releasing the non-target catch and could maintain the maximum catch resulted from the previous experiments. The results indicated that the rigid sorting grid JTED could give the escapement levels of about 79% of the total catch when it was about 25% for semi-curve and rectangular type JTED. However, it was observed that semi-curve JTED performed the highest ability in shrimp retention ratio as compared with another two type of JTED used in this experiment. It could be suggested that the effectiveness of the modifications for JTEDs used in the region could be further fine-tuned to improve the performance

Fishing Gear and Methods in Southeast Asia: I. Thailand (Revisional Edition)

Presently, Marine fisheries development is aimed to the Sustainable Fisheries for food security for the people. Responsible fishing is taking into consideration to be implemented under the Regional Guideline Code of Conduct. So that the development is not only to increase the effectiveness of fishing operation but also to make use of fisheries resources as the most highest benefit as possible. However, in most cases, the introduction of foreign or modern fishing gears and technology may not be appropriate owing to its’ high cost and its possible effects on the resources and environmental selection, and modification of the existing traditional fishing gears and methods to improve its selection and catch ability is therefore recommended, in particular in the small-scale fishing development for most developing countries around the world. The study on the traditional fishing gear of Thailand was pioneered in 1949 by two fishery biologists of the Thai Department of Fisheries on their return form study in Japan. Mr.Swang Charernphol and Mr.Sanan Ruamrak stared surveys of the fishing gear employed by Thai fishermen along the coasts of the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. The results of their study were published by the Department of Fisheries in 1950. Later, in 1969, the revised edition of fishing gear used in the marine fisheries of Thailand was published by the Exploratory Fishing Unit of the Thai Department of fisheries. This publication was recognized as a reference book no Thai fishing gear unit resent years. In Late 1970, the SEAFDEC Training Department initiated a systematic study on the fishing gear and methods employed by fishermen in the region. Fishing gear experts and staff of the Training Department had carried out the Marine Fishing Gear and methods survey through the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea in 1985, and the results had been published in April 1986 by The Training Department of SEAFDEC. In the pass sixteen years, marine fisheries of Thailand has grate development, more fishing effort were put on the same limited fishing ground. Many conflicts were occurred among fishermen due to the declination of fisheries resources and fishing ground environment. So the first volume of Fishing gears and methods in Southeast Asia : Thailand was needed to be revised. The literature review was started in June 2002, then the reconfirmation survey had been carried out in August 2002 by spot checked to the high significant area, interesting fishing gears has been investigated and compiled into this revision. The original concept of this book was to compile information on the fishing gears used in the small-scale fisheries of various countries of Southeast Asia and compare the efficiency of the gears in order to effect low cost improvements. Then the concept has created a lot of fishing gears development in the region for more than fifteen years. In the new millennium, world fisheries a resource is declined while the demand of food for the people is more needed. So the revision of this book is emphasized on responsible fishing on order to promote sustainable fisheries in the region. Four fishing gear experts and researcher of the Training Department had carried out the survey for collecting information and data of the improved and developed fishing gears. The revised volume contains description of 185 marine fishing gears presently employed by the marine fisheries of Thailand, 35 were juts developed during the passed 16 years. It is hoped that this revision volume can serve as a useful reference for those who are interested in Thai fisheries

Cost–profit Analysis of Japanese-type Set-net through Technology Transfer in Rayong, Thailand

The Japanese type of set-net, Otoshi-ami, was introduced to Thailand in 2003 with the aim of assessing its feasibility as a sustainable coastal fisheries management tool for the empowerment of coastal fishers’ communities. All preparations for constructing and installing the set-net in the coastal waters off Mae Rumpheung beach, Rayong Province, Thailand, were carried out by local fishers, with technical advice and support from national and international institutions. The gear was modified and developed to suit the conditions of the fishing ground and target species. Data on the catch and sales trends in Rayong using the set-net were collected for 7 years for statistical analysis; during this period, the gear design and marketing strategies were improved. Simulation analysis for evaluating the cost–profit bases was conducted to establish a model for set-net technology transfer in Southeast Asia, based on differing numbers of fishers and operation days. The simulation results show the required size of the average daily catch to cover the total cost according to the average unit price, where the economic return point is an average catch of 128 kg, based on a unit price of 25 Baht/kg (0.83 USD/kg), with ten fishermen and a daily operation cost of 3,200 Baht (USD 106.17)

Environmental Survey Studies on Artificial Reefs in Rayong Province, Thailand: Technical Assistance in a Pilot Site for Suitable Designs of Resource Enhancement Practices

The series of environmental survey studies on artificial reefs carried out in Rayong Province, Thailand by SEAFDEC Training Department was part of the pilot project and capacity building on rehabilitation of fisheries resources and habitats and fishing grounds implemented during 2010 to 2014. Selected onsite study and evaluation of enhancement practices including impacts of artificial reefs to fisheries resources and environment were conducted in order to provide technical assistance to the Member Countries in their efforts to identify pilot project sites and capacity building activities on rehabilitation of fishery resources and habitats/fishing grounds. The survey studies were carried out based on fishing gear used in order to determine the species composition and abundance, while underwater observation was carried out to inspect the conditions of the artificial reefs 'Rayong No. 2' installed at the eastern part of Samed Island, Rayong Province in December 2009 by the Department of Fisheries (DOF) of Thailand. The G-18 position of the artificial reefs (Lat. N 12 degree 31.085, Long. E 101 degree 30.830), was selected and referred to as a major site for the study as it comprised large amount of concrete block ARs (35 pieces of ARs 1.5 m super(3)) and probably has the most abundant species diversity in the ARs area. The fishing gears and equipment used for the species composition survey were fish trap, bottom gill-net, hand line, juvenile fish trap, Smith-McIntyre grab, and underwater observation. Results of the survey from fish trap operation before the ARs installation (February - March 2009) indicated the abundance of 18 fish species, and total catch was 52,658 g inside the ARs area. The major species caught were Lutjanus vitta, Diagramma pictum, Scolopsis monogramma and Monacanthus chinensis at 1863.3, 1520.8, 348.3, and 162.5 g/trap/time, respectively. Meanwhile, one year after ARs installation (March 2011), the fish trap operation indicated 12 fish species were found inside ARs area, and total catch was 22,520 g. The major species caught were Siganus javas, Lutjanus lyjanus, Lutjanus russelli, Siganus canaliculatus and Diagramma pictum at 202.5, 1360.0, 500.0, and 500.0 g/trap/time, respectively. Results from fish trap operations showed that the number of species and amount of catch decreased one year after ARs installation. Results from benthos survey in August 2011 showed that there were 26 species of macro benthos found around the G-18 ARs position. There were 531 individuals found at the distance of 50 m to the west (W-50) yet in the most concentrated position there were 8 species. The major species found belong to Family Capitellidae, Family Pectinariidae and Family Maldanidae. Results of benthos survey in October 2012 found that there were 31 species around the G-18 ARs position, where 968 individuals were found at the distance 50 m to the south (S-50) yet the most concentrated position there were 10 species. The major species found belong to Family Capetellidae, Family Nereididae, Family Onuphidae, and Family Maldanida. Results from interview with local fishers around Ban Phe Bay indicated that the major fishing gear used were fish trap, squid trap, bottom gill-net, hand line, and towing-line. Most of the fishers occasionally operated their fishing gear around ARs because the abundance of fish was not rich. The accident where about 50,000 liters of crude oil leaked from the PTT Global Chemical pipeline around 20 km off the coast of Rayong on 27 July 2013 had caused massive impact to the environmental condition and ARs around Ban Phe Bay. This accident led to severe reduction of the fishery resources around Rayong Bay for a year. However, the results from a study on water circulation around Rayong Bay and Samed Island during September 2013 showed that water circulation around ARs area was less due to a blockage along the shore where tidal current flow eastward Samed Island. Less current which flowed through the ARs structures could be the cause of less biological growth in the ARs areas

Resources Conservation and Enhancement in Nam Houm Reservoir, Lao PDR

In 2010, the Training Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC/TD) in cooperation with Department of Fisheries of Thailand and Department of Livestock and Fisheries of Lao PDR embarked on a five-year project on Rehabilitation of Fisheries Resources and Habitat/Fishing Grounds for Resources Enhancement funded by Japanese Trust Fund 5 (JTF-5). The selected project pilot site was Nam Houm Reservoir in Lao PDR. Mainly used support agriculture, Nam Houm Reservoir has water serving capacity of 60 million m3 in wet season. The total population from four villages near the Reservoir is 3,300 and as reported there are 36 species of fish in Nam Houm Reservoir. The main valuable and market species are tilapia Oreochromis niloticus, featherback fish Notopterus notopterus, and common silver barb Barbonymus gonionotus (Bleeker, 1849). The Project carried out various activities including improvement of fisheries information and data collection, promotion of sustainable fisheries and the concept of community-based and co-management in inland fisheries, strengthening of critical habitat protection measures by installing 50 pieces of highly effective fish shelter with fishing gear prevention tools in the conservation area to protect broodstocks from illegal fishers, technology transfer of mobile hatchery to the fishers group at Nam Houm Reservoir, as well as promotion of breeding techniques for common silver barb by injecting hormones to broodstocks and juvenile fish releasing techniques. All activities were successfully undertaken with the cooperation of Nam Houm Reservoir Fishery Management Committee (RFMR) and local fishers. The Project also demonstrated a good practice of comanagement between local people and government in the inland fishery sector. Moreover, the technical knowledge and techniques from the team of experts had been transferred to local officers and local people during the Project period. Now, the local people can apply and develop more techniques appropriate for reservoir fisheries in the country to achieve the goal of sustainable inland fisheries management in the future