Illustrative photo (Photo: thaipbsworld.com) Bangkok (VNA) – The Fisheries Department under Thailand's Ministry for Agriculture and Cooperatives has announced a 3-month commercial fishing restriction in the Gulf of Thailand starting February 15 to protect spawning mackerel and to allow their fry to mature.
The controls cover about 26,400 sq.m, from the tip of the Khao Mong Lai peninsula of Prachuap Khiri Khan to Don Sak district of Surat Thani province.
The second phase, from May 16 until June 14, covers an area of about 8,100 sq.m from the tip of Khao Mong Lai peninsula to Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Under the restrictions, only small boats with gross weight of under 10 tonnes and engine of under 280 horsepower are allowed to fish in the specified area. Types of equipment that can be used are controlled, such as no fishing nets over 2,500 metres long and a minimum mesh size of 2.5cm.
According to the Fisheries Department, the commercial fishing controls imposed last year resulted in an increase in the mackerel population in the Gulf, as evident in the size of catch last year, estimated at about 41,310 tonnes, worth about 3.3 billion THB, compared to 35,708 tonnes in 2022.
A ceremony to mark the start of the fishing limitations will be held on February 14 at the pier in Paknam sub-district, Chumphon province under the chair of Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand Thammanat Prompao./.
