Bangkok – The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) is prosecuting a tour guide who plucked a clump of sea anemones from their habitat to attract clownfish, in order to impress Chinese tourists.
After the volunteer Facebook page, Go Eco Phuket, released a clip showing the tour guide luring clownfish with a large clump of sea anemones for Chinese, it was found that the incident occurred close to Yo Island in Sattahip district.
DMCR’s Coastal Management Office 2 filed a complaint at Sattahip Police Station on a charge of hunting a protected creature under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act BE 2535. Violators can be punished by up to 4 years in prison and a fine not exceeding 40,000 baht.
Meanwhile, the DMCR is cooperating with the private sector to implement a pilot project to use oil rigs off Phangan Island, Surat Thani as artificial coral sites. The oil rigs have a strong and stable complex structure made of steel and as none of their parts are contaminated with petroleum they are suitable as a home and shelter for living sea creatures.
The project is divided into two phases: a biological and ecological study to follow up on the impact of placing artificial coral on the structures and the announcement of the protected area and a follow-up from the first phase to collect information about living creatures that thrive on coral reefs.
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