BANGKOK, 29 February 2012 – The Fisheries Department has expressed its worry about the depleting population of Indian Mackerel in Thailand’s southern Andaman Sea.
Dr. Wimol Jantrarotai, Director General of the Department of Fisheries, said on Tuesday that the latest research has found a sign of an alarmingly depleting population of Indian Mackerel in Thai waters.
Indian Mackerel is one of the many key marine resources for Thailand and the Southeast Asian region, as foods and export items. It can be found in both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.
The popularity of this fish can be proven from its widespread catch in the country, which is now blamed for the drastic fall in the number of Indian Mackerel from the Andaman Sea.
Dr. Wimol said that the study showed that, lately, Indian Mackerel caught from the Andaman Sea has been 67.75% smaller than the average full-grown size. It also found that the current level of commercial fishing is around 30% higher than the nature’s capacity to produce. As a result, it is likely that the population of Indian Mackerel breeders, in particular, will shrink drastically soon.
In order to have a sustainable fishing industry, the Fisheries Department is now launching a campaign to build an awareness among fishermen and to encourage them to avoid over-fishing of Indian Mackerel before it is more scarce in Thai waters.
