Bangkok Post June 14 1999

Fishermen stage rally in South Demand nocturnal anchovy fishing ban Onnucha Hutasingh, Archatthaya Chuennirun and Ekkaraj Mukem More than 300 small fishing boats converged on the bays of Songkhla and Phuket yesterday in a show of force against widespread nocturnal fishing of anchovy. The fishermen are demanding the scrapping of a ministerial announcement issued three years ago, by then deputy agriculture minister Monthon Kraiwatnusorn, that allows anchovy fishing boats less than 16 metres long to use electric lights and meshed nets which are less than 2.5 cm to fish three km off the coast. The demand will be forwarded to Agriculture Minister Pongpol Adireksarn today by representatives of the small-scale fishermen who number about 240,000 nationwide, or 85 percent of fishermen as a whole. Banchong Nasaeng, director of the Programme for the Management of Natural Resources in Southern Coasts, said yesterday that the "show of force" by the fishing boats in Songkhla and Phuket was just the first step to dramatise the small-scale fishermen's grievances in light of the threat posed by anchovy fishing at night time. A similar action will be held in the waters off other southern provinces, he said, adding that if all the attempts fail to draw the government's attention to their problems, the fishermen would come to Bangkok to protest right in front of the Government House. Thanongsak Klongsamut, a representative of the anchovy fishermen in Phuket, complained that nocturnal fishing and the use of lighting had seriously depleted anchovy stocks and many other small marine creatures. He said income from anchovy catches during day time had dropped from 400-500 baht a day to between 50-100 baht a day for each boat after the invasion of some 100 anchovy boats equipped with lighting and fine-meshed nets. He warned that the small-scale fishermen might blockade the bays and sea communication routes in the Andaman Sea if the government failed to respond to their demand. The conflict over anchovy fishing has not only pitted anchovy fishermen against one another but also neighbours against neighbours. In the small fishing village of Lae in Singha Nakorn district of Songkhla, for instance, tension is quietly building up between those who support night fishing and make a living from boiling anchovy and those who simply use traditional fishing methods. "Many people in the neighbourhood are not on speaking terms with one another now. They don't even greet each other when they meet," said a villager. The conflict led to the blockade of the Songkhla bay by small-scale fishermen in the middle of last year. The incident prompted the governor to declare the bay off-limits to nocturnal anchovy fishing. However, a counter-protest a month later by anchovy fishermen and those who make a living from boiling anchovy forced the provincial administration to call for a public hearing on the issue. Recently, the National Fishery Policy Committee proposed a zoning system to resolve the conflict. Under the proposal, night fishing for anchovy is permissible in a zone five to 12 km from the shoreline for boats less than 16 metres long, and beyond 12 km for boats exceeding 16 metres. The zoning system was however rejected outright by small-scale fishermen. Charoen Thongma, a leading fisherman in Songkhla, said the zoning would not help as lighting would attract small fishes from shallow waters closer to the coast into the nets of anchovy boats. He said the only durable solution was to completely ban the use of lighting at night. "In three years time, the sea in Thailand will be completely devoid of small fishes. The big fishing boats can survive by fishing in other seas. But what about us the small fishermen?" said Mr Charoen. Monthon Iamsa-ard, director of Fishery Development Centre for the Lower Gulf, said the zoning system was just a temporary solution to prevent a confrontation between rival fishermen. He said it was difficult to impose an immediate ban on the use of lighting as many fishermen have invested a lot of money in the lighting systems. He suggested that the use of light should be gradually phased out to allow the fishermen to recoup their investments. Aree Rangsiyokrit, a member of the public hearing committee on the anchovy problem, said the problem stemmed from overfishing. © Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 1999 Comments to: Webmaster

Return to SAANTI DHARMA Current Issue

Return to SAANTI DHARMA Archive