Source - Bangkok Post Website (Eng)
May 15, 2006


CONSERVATION MEKONG FISHERMEN SEEK HELP
Giant catfish hunters suffer after making big sacrifice PIYAPORN WONGRUANG
Chiang Rai _ Fishermen who hunted the Mekong giant catfish are struggling to make ends meet since they took a landmark pledge to stop catching the rare species last month. Boonrian Jinnarat, adviser to the Giant Catfish Club, a group of commercial fishermen, has called on conservation groups participating in the conservation project to come up with measures to help the fishermen, who now lack income to support their families.

His comments came shortly after two fishermen broke their promise and resumed fishing in the river last week. The fishermen said they had to break ranks to earn a living.

Mr Boonrian said it was unfair if conservationists ask locals to abandon their staple livelihood without long-term assistance.

Hunting the giant catfish, or pla buek, has been a crucial source of income for Chiang Rai fishermen for decades. It is said to generate about one million baht a year for the fishing community in Chiang Khong district.

Mr Boonrian said his group had previously asked for a job replacement scheme for affected fishermen. However, there had been no progress as the focus was still on how to end the fishing.

''It is a great sacrifice for these fishermen to agree to stop catching pla buek. So they should not be left to struggle alone,'' said Mr Boonrian. In mid-April, 68 fishermen reached an agreement with international and local wildlife conservation groups to stop catching the rare fish in order to preserve it _ the agreement is first of its kind in the country.

The fishermen also agreed to sell their seine nets, worth about 20,000 baht each, to symbolise the end of the hunt. The local and international conservation groups have been seeking donations to buy the fishing gear and to set up a fund to help the fishermen start new careers.

The Mekong giant catfish, Pangasianodon gigas, is on the World Conservation Union's red list of critically endangered species and is found only in the Mekong river. According to the Giant Catfish Club's records, the catch has plunged drastically, from 69 fish in 1990 to only four in 1997. Last year, again only four were caught. Biologists blame overfishing and deterioration of the river's ecology for the sharp drop in population.

Former Chiang Rai senator Tuenjai Deetes, one of the leaders of the Mekong giant catfish conservation project, said conservation groups would definitely come up with medium and long-term plans to help the affected fishermen. This would include establishment of a fund to promote alternative careers for the villagers, such as aquaculture farming, she said.

Mrs Tuenjai suggested that fishermen use their unique skills to help scientists study the rare fish, or work as guides and educate tourists about the nature of pla buek and traditional fishing skills.

These activities would become the new sources of income for the fishing communities, while traditional knowledge about the giant catfish and fishing skills would be preserved, she said.

 

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