Samut Sakhon, 27 Samut Sakhon Oct 2013 The government is keen on making Samut Sakhon Province a main tourist attraction after Bryde’s whales have been spotted swimming in the coast.
Three Bryde’s whales have been spotted swimming in Thai waters, 19 kilometers away from the shore in Samut Sakhon’s Khok Kham Sub-District.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vichet Kasemthongsri said the government is set to promote Samut Sakhon as Thailand’s main marine tourism. He said the study of Bryde’s whales in Thailand started 5 years ago and now there are around 40 whales living in Thai waters; they can easily be seen in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.
The minister said all whale-spotting activities would have to be conducted in accordance with the concept of eco-tourism and no invasion will be made to the nearly extinct creatures, adding that if the whales felt invaded, they would relocate and find another habitat.
Recently, a scholar at the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources has revealed that the reason why more Bryde’s whales come into Thai waters is that they abound with anchovies, which the whales feed on; adding that the number of Bryde’s whales has a tendency to rise, given 4 mother whales have already given birth to 4 calves so far this year.
