Marine Capture Fisheries in Thailand: Review and Synthesis*

Pakjuta KhemakornDepartment of Fisheries, Thailand

PhD CandidateThe Australian National Centre for Ocean

Resources & Security (ANCORS)University of Wollongong, Australia

UNNFF Alumni 2006-2007

The United Nations-The Nippon Foundation of Japan Fellowship Programme

Inaugural Asia-Pacific Alumni MeetingTokyo, Japan 13-16 April 2009*A part of PROFISH Project, FAO/RAP

Outline

�Introduction�Marine capture fisheries profile of

Thailand �Aspects and circumstances related

to marine capture fisheries of Thailand

Introduction

� Population about 63,400,000 (2008)

� Total area of Thai waters within EEZ is about 420,280 sq. km. � 304,000 sq. km. of the Gulf of

Thailand (86 m max. depth)� 116,280 sq. km. of the

Andaman Sea (1,200 m max. depth).

� GoT is recognized as a Large Marine Ecosystem (LME), highly productive water body (fisheries and other marine resources)

Introduction

� Fisheries play an important role in the food security (2000-2003, 30.85 kg/year)

� Fisheries are also important in the economies and international trade. (2001-2003, 2nd top global exporter of fishery commodities)� development of trawl fisheries in the 1970s (shrimps)� development of purse seine fisheries in the early

1980s (pelagic species)� Two main sectors: Capture fisheries, Culture� Marine capture fisheries refer all types of harvesting of

naturally occurring living resources in marine environments

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Year

Pro

du

ctio

n (

1,00

0 T

on)

Marine capture Inland capture Coastal aquaculture Freshwater culture

Fisheries production in quantity by sub-sector,

1985 to 2004

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Year

Val

ue

(1,0

00,0

00 T

HB

)

Marine capture Inland capture Coastal aquaculture Freshwater culture

Value of fisheries production by sub-sector,

1985 to 2004

Marine capture fisheries profile

� Definitions by National Statistical Office and DoF, Thailand Small-scale: without boat, non-powered boats, outboard powered and inboard powered boats less than 10 GT, also the fishing gears generally operating inshoreLarge scale: fishing boats of > 10 GT, and the fisheries operations conducted offshore

Large-scale fisheries (LSF) Small-scale fisheries (SSF)

1.Otter board trawl 1. Mackerel gill net2. Pair trawl 2. Pomfret gill net3. Beam trawl 3. Mullet gill net4. Purse seine 4. Shrimp trammel net5. Anchovy purse seine 5. Crab gill net

6. King mackerel drifting gill net 6. Squid trammel net

7. Mackerel encircling gill net 7. Other gill nets8. Push net 8. Squid falling net9. Deep water set net 9. Other cast nets

10. Hand push net11. Long line12. Hand line and Pole & line13. Set bag net14. Fish trap15. Crab trap16. Squid trap17. Shallow water set net

18. Other stationary gears

Capture fisheries: Large-scale, Small-scale

Mackerel gill net

Squidfalling net

Shrimp trammel net

Collecting shellfish

Crab gill net

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

O tter boardtrawl

Purse seine Pair trawl Anchovy purseseine

Push net

LSF

(M

T)

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

SSF

(M

T)

Large scale fisheries Small scale fisheries

Production of top 5 fishing gears of marine capture fisheries by sub-sector, 2004

Pelagic fish

34.18%

Other food fish

7.12%

Trash fish

30.97%

Pelagic fish

19.23%

Demersal fish

4.73%

Shrimps

13.79%

Crabs

19.10%

Squids

13.36%

Shellfish

23.95%Squids

5.77%

Demersal fish

19.15%

Shellfish

0.01%Crabs

0.53%

Shrimps

2.27%

Others

1.19%

Trash fish

1.54%

Other food fish

3.10%

Large scalefisheries

Small scalefisheries

Composition of marine capture production by sub-sector, 2004

Pelagic fish

34.79%

Pelagic fish

50.00%

Crabs

16.50%

Squids

15.51%

Squids

15.99%Demersal fish

23.42%

Shellfish

0.03%

Crabs

1.68%Shrimps

13.01% Other food fish

5.71%

Trash fish

5.38%

Other food fish

3.09%

Shellfish

6.85%

Others

1.51%

Demersal fish

5.77%

Shrimps

0.03%Trash fish

0.69%

Large scalefisheries

Small scalefisheries

Composition of marine capture value by sub-sector, 2004

� Fish and shrimp production sent to canning and freezing processing plants.

� Squids sent to freezing processing plants.

� Fish meal comprises the highest amount disposed from marine production

(from trash fish & fish left over)

Disposition of marine production in Thailand

Type of plant Total Other

food fish

Trash fish& fish left over from

processing

Shrimps Crabs Squids Shellfish Lobsters

Freezing 1,084,553 605,589 - 287,551 10,227 134,630 45,208 1,348

Canning 1,237,017 1,036,615 - 123,405 24,127 12,699 40,171 -

Fish sauce 110,531 110,531 - - - - - -

Budu sauce 2,226 2,226 - - - - - -

Streaming 12,960 12,960 - - - - - -

Smoking 6,209 6,209 - - - - - -

Dried, salted fish

65,349 65,349 - - - - - -

Dried shrimps 12,543 - - 12,543 - - -

Dried squids 16,559 - - - - 16,559 - -

Dried shellfish 47,279 - - - - - 47,279 -

Fish balls 10,354 10,354 - - - - - -

Fish-shrimp chips

8,057 7,681 - 376 - - - -

Fish meal 1,555,950 112,586 1,443,364 - - - - -

Total 4,169,587 1,970,100 1,443,364 423,875 34,354 163,888 132,658 1,348

Fishing Units (Boats and Crews)

�Most of them are small-scale fishing units,

79 percent are outboard powered boats or long-tail boats.

�The majority of large-scale fishing boats are 20 to 50 GT boats (41 percent).

�The average size of crew per fishing unit is related to the size of the boat, as is the net profit per fishing unit.

Type of fishing units

Number of fishing units

Average crew per fishing

unit

Number of fishing

households

Number of fishers (peak season)

Fishing vessels

statistics 2004

Intercensal marine

survey 2000

SS marine household

income survey 2000

Best estimated number

Family member

Employees Total

Grand Total 71,484 57,801 80,857 87,283 168,140

SSF Subtotal 60,141 53,343 76,646 17,583 94,229

No boat 3,763 3,763 1 3,550 4,962 0 4,962

Non-powered boat 2,639 3,112 2,876 1 2,559 3,011 271 3,282

Outboard powered boat

42,217 52,695 47,457 2 41,225 60,222 11,164 71,386

Inboard powered boat

< 5 GT 2,751 3,324 3,933 3,336 2 3,249 4,573 1,597 6,170

5-10 GT 2,338 2,898 2,892 2,709 3 2,760 3,878 4,551 8,429

LSF Sub-total 11,343 4,458 4,211 69,700 73,911

10-20 GT 3,378 2,605 3,378 7 1,994 2,350 7,607 9,957

20-50 GT 4,667 2,459 4,667 10 1,340 1,256 11,341 12,597

50-100 GT 2,799 1,461 2,799 13 517 343 10,339 10,682

100-200 GT 438

516

438 22

607 262 40,413 40,675200-500 GT 59 59 26

> 500 GT 2 2 NA

Thai capture fisheries outside the national EEZ

� Fishing contracts might be arranged between government and government, private sector and government, or private sector and private sector.

� However, there are generally two main forms of arrangements, i.e. licensing and joint venture.

� About 1.15 million tonnes of total marine production (2.64 million tonnes) are obtained from overseas (2004).

� It is from the EEZs of coastal States in Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and East Africa, such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Oman, Yemen, Madagascar and Somalia.

Production of marine capture fisheries out of Thai waters, 2004 (tonnes)

SpeciesGrand Total

Otterboard Trawl

14-18 m

Otterboard Trawl

19-25 m

Otterboard Trawl> 25 m

PairTrawl

14-18 m

PairTrawl> 18 m

Purse seine

King Mackerel

drifting gill net

Grand Total 1,146,811 138,216 432,264 373,478 1,977 14,897 182,710 3,269

Pelagic fish 289,641 2,790 19,196 79,931 80 1,743 182,632 3,269

Demersal fish 374,331 12,925 118,966 240,329 415 1,641 55 0

Shrimps & prawns 14,179 1,655 6,307 6,029 36 152 0 0

Crabs 6,586 355 2,828 3,244 9 150 0 0

Squids 79,105 5,527 37,713 33,771 583 1,470 41 0

Shellfish 4 0 0 4 0 0 0 0

Other food fish 71,943 4,716 56,136 10,170 96 825 0 0

Trash fish 311,040 110,248 191,118 0 758 8,916 0 0

Thai capture fisheries outside the national EEZ

� There are about 3,000 to 4,000 Thai boats fishing in the EEZs of the other coastal States and two Thai boats fishing on the high sea.

� Most of these fishing boats are under contracts arranged by private sectors, and not obliged to report to the DoF in Thailand.

� Since January 2008 hundreds of Thai boats have stopped fishing in Indonesian waters, because of new arrangement applied foreign boats. � Change from licensing to joint venture� Fly Indonesian flag� Can not carry fish back to Thailand

Aspects and circumstances related to marine capture fisheries of Thailand

�Fishery resource aspects � Resources depleted (CPUE of GoT from 297.6

kg/hr in 1961 to 49.8 kg/hr in 1981, and to 29.0 kg/hr in 2006)

� Resources overexploited (MSY, dermersal and pelagic fish)

�Fishing aspects � Overfishing� IUU fishing (national, international)� Incapability of Thai distant fishing fleets

(education, technology, experiences)

Aspects and circumstances related to marine capture fisheries of Thailand

�Marine resource management aspects� The Thai Fisheries Act B.E. 2490 (1947)

o Not updated (in line with international standards)

� International instrumentso Not effectively adopted

(ex. Code of Conduct, IPOAs)� Lack of MCS

Approaches?

Thank you