The population of aquatic life in the Gulf of Thailand increased ten times more this year compared to last year after the Ministry of Fisheries closed the gulf off for fishing for three months during the spawning season.
Sompong Puangsa-at, the secretary of Chumphon’s fishermen community, says the fishermen now can catch much more banana shrimps, scallops, and fish, while the biggest surprise is plenty of giant tiger prawns or “jumbo shrimps” can now be found in the gulf after their numbers dwindled over the last ten years.
“I have been in fishery for 30 years, and it’s very difficult to find jumbo shrimps as large as 200 grams a piece in the past ten years,” Sompong says, “This year we find many, which shows that the Thai gulf is changing after the closure.”
The ministry previously prohibited certain types of fishing techniques used during the spawning season in the 26,400 square kilometer area of the Gulf of Thailand near Chumphon, Prachuabkirikhan, and Surat Thani provinces, according to Jarunsri Petchsiri, the leader of Chumphon Marine Fisheries Suppression and Prevention Center, Sanook reported.
Photo: Wikimedia
