fishing in Thailand's national park!!

[jiptha]

stop national park fishing

i've recently come across a web site that advertises fishing trip to the Similan (a group of islands in the Andaman Sea), a National Marine Park in Thailand.

http://www.thaifishingguide.com/saltwaterfishing/similans/index.html
These are some of the extracts from the website:

"If you are a 'Hard Core' angler, the Similan Islands has some of the best Shark fishing in the region."

The company supposedly "ENCOURAGES 'CATCH AND RELEASE' OF MARLIN, SAILFISH AND SHARKS" but at the same time advertises for shallow water fishing and "night time bottom fishing over a reef".

As a Thai, it embarasses me to say that the site seems to have the seal of approval from Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) - their logo can be found under 'about us'.

While they might argue that they only fish outside of the legal limit of the park, I simply don't think such activity should be encouraged anywhere near one of the top dive sites in the world. This IS one of the most beautiful beaches i have ever been to in Thailand.

i beg (and i really mean that) for this community to spread the word about this group of people who seem to have no respect for the natural environment of Thailand and discourage anyone you know from joining their tour.

Yours Sincerely,

Wan Sophonpanich

 

[underwater daphne]

do you eat fish? do you know how they catch these fish? a lot worse than a few tourists with a rod.
i don't eat fish but i like fishing.

FORBID EATING FISH!

 

[jiptha]

but fishing around national marine park?

 

[underwater daphne]

what and the rest of the sea is worthless to you? just coz the government doesn't call it a "marine park"? what does marine park mean to you?

 

[DocVikingo]

stop national park fishing

i've recently come across a web site that advertises fishing trip to the Similan (a group of islands in the Andaman Sea), a National Marine Park in Thailand.

http://www.thaifishingguide.com/saltwaterfishing/similans/index.html
These are some of the extracts from the website:

"If you are a 'Hard Core' angler, the Similan Islands has some of the best Shark fishing in the region."

The company supposedly "ENCOURAGES 'CATCH AND RELEASE' OF MARLIN, SAILFISH AND SHARKS" but at the same time advertises for shallow water fishing and "night time bottom fishing over a reef".

As a Thai, it embarasses me to say that the site seems to have the seal of approval from Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) - their logo can be found under 'about us'.

While they might argue that they only fish outside of the legal limit of the park, I simply don't think such activity should be encouraged anywhere near one of the top dive sites in the world. This IS one of the most beautiful beaches i have ever been to in Thailand.

i beg (and i really mean that) for this community to spread the word about this group of people who seem to have no respect for the natural environment of Thailand and discourage anyone you know from joining their tour.

Yours Sincerely,

Wan Sophonpanich

The Scuba Diving Vacation & Destinations section has a forum dedicated to Asian dive destinations. I have taken the liberty of sharing your post here in the hope it will get a wider audience.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[jiptha]

if we can't protect the national marine parks, what chances do the rest of the sea has?

 

[archman]

what and the rest of the sea is worthless to you? just coz the government doesn't call it a "marine park"? what does marine park mean to you?

Yeah, you have to watch out for this. A "marine park" designation can mean a lot of things, and if you look at them as a lump sum worldwide, you'll find that fishing is very often NOT excluded within the majority. Even in the U.S. National Marine Sanctuary Program, there are areas where fishing is permitted (i.e. most of the Florida Keys NMS).

Your typical "marine park" is protected against coastal development, and maybe mineral extraction activities. That's it. All the other protective measures (fishing, diving, boating, collecting) are usually not part of the package. It's not intuitive to many americans and europeans, as we tend to associate parks with rather strict conservation codes based off of our own terrestrial sites.

MPA's (marine protected areas) tend to be a whole other animal entirely, with minimal protective measures and usually no enforcement. They're a longstanding sad joke in the ecological circles, although lately that's been happily improved to limited extents. I don't know beans about the situation in Thailand, though.

 

[jiveturkey]

do you eat fish? do you know how they catch these fish? a lot worse than a few tourists with a rod.
i don't eat fish but i like fishing.

FORBID EATING FISH!

Not eating fish is not a viable way of promoting preservation of a species. Too many people depend on the sea as a resource to feed their families and make a living. I agree with you when you say the rest of the ocean is important too, but to imply that eveyone should stop eating fish as a way of helping the seas is simply ludicrous. If you want to protect the oceans, governments and scientists need to create a workable system and then enforce it properly.

 

[whitehead]

Dear Khun Wan,

I have sent the details you posted to TAT and to the Royal Forest Dept, this morning , and I would hope you can assist by doing the same in Thai.

I would also suggest you post your message on the SOS webboard www.saveoursea.net (Thai) and www.damnam.org (english) and www.doct-phuket.org (english) , it will receive a larger circulation in Thailand there and thereby probably receive more of a result.

Paul

 

[underwater daphne]

Not eating fish is not a viable way of promoting preservation of a species. Too many people depend on the sea as a resource to feed their families and make a living. I agree with you when you say the rest of the ocean is important too, but to imply that eveyone should stop eating fish as a way of helping the seas is simply ludicrous. If you want to protect the oceans, governments and scientists need to create a workable system and then enforce it properly.

those that depend on fish as one of their main foods will eat local fish. i'm from malaysia and know that fish is one of the most common things on a plate. but we in europe then to go all exotic and forget that we have fish in our lakes. if you were to promote our own ressources and depend less on foreign fish this will also help control the problem a bit.
depending on government and a workable system is very ideallistic, but which system really works? which country is not a victim of corruption? who really doesn't care for the money? there might be a few out there who really want the best for the world, whereas most ppl want the best for themselves.
so eat less fish or try to eat mostly local fish if you must