The Fisheries Department 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 26,400km2, 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 8,100km2, from the tip of Khao Mong Lai peninsula to Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan.
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 baht, compared to 35,708 tonnes in 2022.
Under the restrictions, only small boats are allowed to fish in the specified area and the type of equipment that can be used is controlled, such as no fishing nets over 2,500 metres long and a minimum mesh size of 2.5cm. The vessels must be under 10 tonnes gross weight and the engine must be under 280 horsepower.
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. It will be presided over by Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao.
