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Changing attitudes to spark restoration of Blue Swimming Crabs in Thailand

GEF-UNEP/SEAFDEC Fisheries Refugia Project

By IW:LEARN

June 7^th, 2020

The South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand contributes to high fisheries production making many countries in the region among the top ten highest producers of fish in the world. It should be noted that fisheries is an important sector that creates million jobs in the fisheries industry, produces seafood to the world market, helps growing country economies and improves livelihoods of people involved in fisheries. However, it is a fact that the perceived lack of responsible fishing practices and the resultant capture of huge quantities and diversity of non-target species coupled with its significant effect on the ecosystem as overfishing threatens fish stocks regionally, reduces biodiversity, alters the ecosystem functioning, and jeopardizes the food security and livelihoods of people. The following describes how one can support healthy oceans by increasing the Blue Swimming Crabs stock by changing fishermen attitudes towards responsible fisheries and ecosystem-based approach, and usage of social media for effective communication. Even though it addresses one facet of the problem, its impact on the world ocean is truly transformational, hence we would like to share with the global ocean community some of our work on this important “World Oceans Day”.

Fisheries Refugia Project Celebrates World Oceans Day, 8 June 2020. Photo credit: SEAFDEC, 2020

Why Fisheries Refugia for Blue Swimming Crab

Blue swimming crabs (BSC) are one of the top livelihood sources in many countries of the Southeast Asia. In Thailand, BSC are one of the most economically important species for the Thai fishery industry. It had been recorded that Thailand has remained the fourth largest exporter in the world during the past 2 decades. We find BSC everywhere in the coastal, offshore and particularly at the river mouths. Main fishing gears are collapsible crab trap and bottom gillnet operated by small-scale and commercial fisherfolks in the coastal areas. But large numbers of BSC are caught by trawl net as bycatch in the coastal and offshore areas too.

It is hard not to mention the impact of globalization in the fishery sectors especially during the 1980s and 1990s where there were high fishing pressures due to open access, lack of effective fisheries management, no inter-agency cooperation and overfishing of declining fish stock including blue swimming crab stock.

Under the UNEP-GEF funded Project on Establishment and Operations of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand during 2016-2020 (SCS-Fisheries Refugia) which is a part of the Strategic Action Program for implementation in the South China Sea: Fisheries Component, we celebrate the lessons learned from the Department of Fisheries of Thailand on introducing a fisheries refugia concept - a tool for Integrated Fisheries and Habitat Management - to protect the life cycle of the blue swimming crab and its habitat and, ensure sustainable fisheries including a strong stakeholders participation process and good practices in information/data collection and sharing for effective science-based management. Integration between fisheries and environment management are key to sound fisheries refugia. It is hard to meet the goal if the fisheries and environment management sectors work independently especially given that the BSC rely on healthy habitats throughout their life cycle.

Fishing boat in Cha 'am, Thailand. Photo credit: Ian Gratton, 2012

Crab Bank

Let’s zoom back to the 2000s and learn about one of the several programs on restoration of blue swimming crab in Thailand. Based on innovation and wisdom from local fishing village, the “Crab Bank” Program – a scheme to conserve crab resources – was initiated by SEAFDEC in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries under the Royal Initiated Project in 2002. Through the cooperation and efforts towards coastal resources management among fisher folks in the village, the berried female crabs caught by fishers are deposited to the center (bank) until the female had spawned. After spawning, the crabs are sold by weight to the local market and 50% of the sale is retuned to fishers, 50% to cage maintenance and crab bank operating cost. The eggs or crab larvae are returned to the sea. This innovative approach of balancing environment management and improved livelihood was recently expanded to many coastal areas in Thailand and to many ASEAN Member States.

Establishing fisheries Refugia is another good practice perhaps even more impactful and effective to prevent harvesting blue swimming crabs during the spawning season applying sound science-based management measures such as follows:

Seasonal closures during critical periods of fish life cycles
Seasonal restrictions (e.g. use of specific gear that may trap larvae); and
Limited access and use of rights-based approaches in small-scale fisheries.

The Department of Fisheries Thailand is in the process of stakeholder consultation to establish fisheries refugia for blue swimming crab in Bandon Bay in Surat Thani Province by applying seasonal closure to protect the berried female blue swimming crab and crab larvae. This refugia site is located in the coastal area and link to the seagrass habitat that need to be conserved too.

A fisherman shows a crab from the village's 'bank' scheme that supports its fishery. Photos credit: Peerawat Jariyasombat, 2018

Changing attitudes of bottom trawlers in restoration program

As mentioned earlier, blue swimming crabs are also caught as by-catch from bottom trawl net either operated in the coastal areas or offshore. The Fisheries Refugia project identified large numbers of crabs particularly the berried female crabs that needed to be protected, but it has proven difficult to establish the entire area as a fisheries refugia. Accordingly, we have had to encourage trawlers/operators to voluntarily support the project by releasing the berried female crab back to the sea including recording and reporting. Thanks to the mobile phone technology and social media like LINE, FACEBOOK which are in popular use in Thailand, social media has proved to be a very useful technology to change the attitude of fishers at sea. Fishers can be actors in the short video clips filming how they return crab to the sea and recording the numbers of crabs as well on the video clip.

In the early days of this program only few trawlers joined, but after 6 months from August to December 2019, 45 trawlers participated in the program in Surat Thani Province and more than 4,000 berried female crabs were returned to the sea for natural spawning in their life cycle and preferred habitat. Taking into account that one female crab depending upon its weight can provide 200,000 to 2 million eggs (average 1 million eggs/one female crab) and considering that almost 4,000 million eggs of blue swimming crabs are naturally hatched in the sea, this has been an impressive practice. To date, this is one of the most successful and effective practices and a game changer resulting in sustainable long-term changes in fisher’s attitude now supporting and engaging on conservation and restoration for healthy oceans and sustainable fisheries in their home water.

Trawler nets. Photo credit: David Clode, 2020

Moving forward on a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia

There are many economically important species selected by the project such as short mackerel, longtail tuna, mitre squid, orange-spotted grouper, rabbit fish, mangrove jack, tiger shrimp, and spiny lobster. The objectives of Fisheries refugia project are focused on not just only the area-based management and areas of critical importance in the life cycle of fish species, including spawning and nursery grounds, or areas of habitat required for the maintenance of brood stock. But the project also aims on promoting sustainable use for the benefits of present and future generations. In addition, the project also enhances regional cooperation for sustainable utilization of short mackerel in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand to ensure that critical importance to life cycles together with their critical habitats are seriously taken into consideration and actions.

The project is only half-way through its execution and what we introduced above is only one of the 15 refugia sites from 6 participating countries namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Last but not least, we would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Praulai Nootmorn, a national focal point of Fisheries Refugia Project for Thailand, who devoted her efforts to change the fisher attitudes in conservation and restoration of Blue swimming Crab in Thailand. We believe that this initiative will be with us eternally. It is however important to continue to spread the good practice and influence many more fisher’s mindsets.

Seagrass provides an essential habitat for juvenile fish. Many species shelter and feed here before moving out to the open sea. Photo credit: Koh Phra Thong, 2013

For more information on the Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand Project please contact the Project Manager, Somboon Siriraksophon (somboon@seafdec.org) and visit the website as well as the project page on iwlearn.net.