Net fishing banned in Andaman Sea for 3 months of spawning season
The annual three-month fishing ban was imposed today off Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and Trang on the Andaman coast. Net fishing will be prohibited in the areas until June 30 to allow stocks to recover.
The ban covers an area of 4,696 square kilometres spanning Cape Panwa in Phuket province to Laem Yong Star in Trang province.
The Department of Fisheries said the three-month ban on using mesh nets was put in place to protect the Andaman spawning season. The spawning season peaks in June with an average density of 5,161 fish per 1,000 cubic metres of water.
Statistics show that previous bans have been successful, with the annual catch in the Andaman steadily increasing from 207,236 tonnes in 2017 to 388,022 tonnes in 2021, said Chalermchai Suwanrak, deputy director-general of the Fisheries Department. “Mackerel, which is an economic stock of the Andaman Sea, has seen a significant rise in annual catches, from 3,602 tonnes in 2017 to 12,267 tonnes in 2021,” he said.
The closed fisheries would be patrolled by a fleet of six Fisheries Department boats. Any fishing boats caught defying the ban would face arrest and a fine of 50,000 baht or five times the value of their catch, whichever was higher, said Chalermchai.
“We will also release 620,000 fish fry to help repopulate the Andaman Sea,” he added.