Preliminary Study on The Introduction of Set-Net Fishery to Develop The Sustainable Coastal Fisheries Management in Southeast Asia (Case study in Thailand)

Research PaperOver exploitation of the coastal fisheries resources in Southeast Asia region is the cause of many problems either conflict among the fishermen or depletion of the coastal environment. In order to find out the way to solve those problems, Set-Net fishing was proposed to be used as a kind of tool for the coastal fisheries management development. Set-Net does not function only to harvest fisheries resources but its construction also provided shelter and substrate for living marine organism to create their communities in the food chain of coastal marine ecosystem. Seven small scale fishermen groups of Mae Rumpheung beach which located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, were selected as the experimental samples and site for case study in Thailand. Over two hundred fishermen have generally earned their lives on this coastal waters with seven types of fishing gears: crab bottom gillnet, crab trap, squid trap, squid jigging, fish trap, handlines and fish gillnet. Some commercial fishing boats from other area are also presently operated anchovy purse seine and anchovy fishing with light on this area. So that they should pay high responsibility on their own coastal resources and environmental conservation under the concept of decentralization policy. One set of set-net "Otoshi-ami" was constructed and installed at 14 meters depth fishing ground of coastal waters, five groups of fishermen were arranged for fishing operation alternately under control of the Set-net Operation Administrative and Management Committee. It could harvest various species of their coastal resources mainly yellowstrip scad, round herring, sardine, indian mackerel, Indo-Pacific mackerel and squid. There are also a lot of fishes and others marine organism gathering and living around and on the set-net construction both pelagic and demersal species. It is shown that the coastal resources communities were developed around the set-net area more than other empty area of this waters. So that, the vicinity area around set net construction is become a good fishing ground for small-scale fishing activities, however it should be managed by the committee or the cooperative in future