From February to April 2024, fieldwork led by Punnatut Kangrang, a Ph.D student in Natural Resources Management at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), a recipient of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Scholarship and the AIT Scholarship, involved lively face-to-face interactions with fishers at landing sites along the Thai coast, helping crew members of small-scale vessels understand rules, documentation, and practical steps to minimize overfishing and prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Coastal fishing grounds near a landing site at the Gulf of Thailand, visited by the team.
During their visits to harbors and fish markets, the team met skippers, crew members, and community representatives to discuss everyday compliance: gear selectivity, closed seasons and areas, bycatch handling, vessel registration, and catch documentation and traceability. Sessions used plain Thai-language materials and short dockside briefings designed for busy workdays, with time allocated for questions and answers regarding the European Union’s “yellow card,” fair enforcement, and how legal practices protect livelihoods.
Community consultation on fishing documentation and gear rules.
Their outreach has delivered:
- Clear explanation of IUU fishing and why it matters for stocks, safety, and market access.
- Practical checklist advice: vessel papers, logbooks, landing declarations, and who to contact for help.
- Quick guides to gear rules and environmentally destructive practices to avoid.
- Tips for safer, more selective operations in terms of mesh sizes, no-take zones, discarded gear management.
- Referral pathways to local authorities and producer groups for ongoing support.
On-pier briefing: reviewing a checklist with a representative of a small-scale vessel.
Her team visited coastal areas of 21 provinces and met 110 small-scale fishers, who are most at risk of information gaps, using short repeated touchpoints at piers as opposed to classroom sessions. Insights from the parallel survey informed the messages, ensuring they address concerns about fairness and economic burden while reinforcing shared sustainability goals.
The collected information will be further analyzed to produce Ph.D.-level research outputs in due course of time, under the guidance of her research committee consisting of Malay Pramanik (Chair), Takuji W. Tsusaka, and Krishna R. Salin.
