Source - Bangkok Post (Eng)
May 05, 2006


Chiang Rai - Two fishermen who joined in a landmark promise to help
preserve the endangered giant catfish in the Mekong river and not catch them
any more have returned to the hunt. "We need to make a living," said Ban Hat
Krai fisherman Pisit Wanatam, 40, in Chiang Khong district. Mr Pisit and his
friend resumed hunting the giant catfish, orpla buek, early this week. Last
month, a group of 68 local fishermen made a promise to then-senator Thaunjai
Deetes, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Wildlife Fund Thailand
(WFT) to stop catching giant catfish. The fishermen put their seine nets,
worth about 20,000 baht each, on sale to symbolise the end of pla buek
hunting, which has provided a staple livelihood for Mekong villagers for
decades. The IUCN and the WFT agreed to buy the villagers' fishing gear.The
revenue from the sale of the nets was to be used as seed money for a fund to
help set up the former fishermen in a new occupation. Mr Pisit said he had
initially held out against promising not catch the giant fish because he did
not think it was practical. "The hunting of pla buek will continue because
the ban does not prevent Lao fishermen from going after the fish and local
fishermen are not sure how they can otherwise earn enough money to support
their families," said Mr Pisit. Catching the giant catfish is said to
generate about one million baht a year for the fishing community in the
district. "I tried to deter these two men from hunting the fish, but they
didn't listen to me," said Poom Boonnak, head of the Ban Hat Krai giant
catfish conservation group. So far, only two of the 68 fishermen broken
their promise, said Mr Poom. Former senator Thaunjai said: "We could take
legal action against them because giant catfish is protected species, but
that would be a last resort." . The Rak Chiang Khong conservation group
reports the pla buek catch dropped dramatically from 69 in 1990 to only four
in 1997. From 2001 to 2003, none were caught and four were netted last year.

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