Small-scale Fisheries in the Ko Man Group Area, Eastern Coast of the Gulf of the Thailand: Fishing Gear and Marine Catch at Six Fishing Villages with Special Reference to the Ban Krachae-Kung kraben Fishing Villages

Abstract

Analysis of the Thai marine capture fishery showed that the catch of small-scale fisheries accounted for 16.5% of the total catch (SEAFDEC, 1988), but fishermen belonging to small- scale fisheries accounted for 79.8% of the total fishermen engaged in marine capture fishery in Thailand in 1985 (DOF, 1986). Therefore, it is of prime importance to clarify the status of the country's small-scale fishery in order to implement effective management and developmental programmers. Sources of the data used in this paper were first obtained in 1982 and 1984. However, the results in most cases are still valid today and provide a valuable source of basic information on small-scale fisheries on the eastern seaboard of the Gulf of Thailand. The problems of small-scale fisheries should be differentiated from those of capital-intensive commercial, and largescale fisheries. Also, as management data collection in small-scale fisheries is hindered by the numerous remote landing point s and by the many diversified gears in operation (Saila and Roedel, 1979), it is necessary to conduct research from many points of view to solve the problems. This research is aimed at identifying the status of small-scale fishing gear which was one of the elements to be identified for better management and development of small-scale fisheries. Guidelines or definitions of so-called small-scale fisheries vary from country to country because of the different conditions of the small-scale fisheries. Therefore, it is necessary to give a clear definition of what constitutes small-scale fisheries in Thailand. We have not attempted a full definition of this term in this paper as the conditions applied to so-called small-scale fisheries have been gradually changing. However, the authors have given a tentative definition for small scale fishing gear in the Ko Man Group area, while recognizing the necessity of a clear definition which they should be able to submit in the near future. In this paper, the status of both the small-scale and non-small-scale fishing gear which are defined here were based on data for Ko Man Group area collected in 1984. The marine catch of the Ban Krachae-Kung kraben fishing villages is taken from 1982 data, and was analyzed from buying records at that time. The present status of small-scale fishing gear is based on same data can piled from small-scale fishing villages in Ko Man Group area, on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand in 1989.