RACHUAP KHIRI KHAN, June 24 – The Esperanza, the largest vessel in the Greenpeace fleet, joined more than 200 Thai fishing trawlers in placing buoys across a 60km stretch of the sea in this southern province to conserve marine life in the Gulf of Thailand.
Trawlers from 14 communities in the provincial seat, as well as Kui Buri and Sam Roi Yot districts, cooperated with the Thai Sea Watch Association and the Small-Scale Fisheries Network in Prachuap Khiri Khan in putting the buoys along a 60km stretch from Hua Hin district to Khao Mong Lai and the provincial seat.
The action is meant to prevent destructive fishing methods and conserve the ecosystem.
Piya Thesyam, leader of the Small Scale Fisheries Association in Kui Buri district, said the activity was significant to Thai fisheries as Prachuap Khiri Khan has become Thailand’s first province to successfully expand its marine conservation zone from 3,000 metres to 5,400 metres or three nautical miles.
The Esperanze has been visiting Thailand on since June 15 and will depart June 30. Its mission is to create awareness on the escalating crisis in the Thai seas and encourage the government to seriously resolve the problem.
The vessel left the southern province of Songkha for Bangkok via Prachuap Khiri Khan before heading for the Philippines. (MCOT online news)
