Fisheries

            Thailand’s fishing industry is dependent on marine catches. Fish from natural fresh water, commercial fish farms, and irrigated paddy fields account for less than 10 percent of the total catch. The remainder comes from the sea. Marine fish catches rose from 1.5 million tons on 1973 to 2.35 million tons in 1986.

During the Fifth Five – Year Plan (1982 – 1986) fishery output increased by an annual average of 2.45 percent as compared with the 4.49 percent per year during the Fourth Plan (1977 – 1981), 3.4 percent per year during the Third Plan (1972 – 1976), and 1806 percent per year during the Second Plan (1967 – 1971). Depletion of marine resources during the first two years of the Sixth Five – Year Plan (1987 – 1988) reduced fishery output by 1.7 percent per annum.

At present the government is effectively enforcing regulated fishing to ensure sustainable yields for both present and future generation. An alternative which the government has undertaken to encourage the production of fish helps to expand freshwater fish farms to offset declining marine catches. Towards this end, about 45 freshwater fishery stations have been set up.

To overcome the effect of 200 – mile economic zone, the government has promoted private joint fishing ventures with foreign countries aimed at alleviating the problem of limited fishing  sources, in addition to private joint ventures in the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Australia, India, Vietnam, Kampuchea and Myanmar. Further expansion of such joint ventures holds bright prospects.