A still whale shark dangled from a crane on a trawler floating offshore Phuket. Its tail was tied to a lifting machine with a rope. As a by-catch, the heavyweight whale was lifted up by the machine and placed on one side of the vessel's deck. Some crewmen then pushed its massive body into the water.
There was a splash and the whale shark disappeared beneath the waves. No one was even sure if it was still alive or dead. This uncertainty reflects a serious problem in our oceans, which have been greatly damaged by destructive fishing practices.
Paritta Wangkiat is a columnist, Bangkok Post.
The scene was captured in a video taken by a diving group who spotted the trawler near Raya Island just south of Phuket last Friday. They were on their way back from a diving trip. According to news reports, the divers had to pressure the trawler crew to release the whale shark.
Once the video footage was circulated on social media, the Fisheries Department took immediate action and investigated. They discovered the vessel at a pier in Phuket. Two of the trawler's captains were charged with violating the Emergency Decree on Fisheries by capturing an endangered species protected under Thai law and the boat operator's licence was suspended. If found guilty, the trawler operator will be fined between 300,000 and three million baht, or five times the value of the catch.
However, a different story was told by one of the captains. His men were about to release the slowing-moving giant fish when they were found by the divers. He claimed that no one on the trawler was aware they had caught the whale shark until they pulled the net up onto the deck. Had they known, they said, they would not have pulled in the net.
No matter which version of the story is true, this event illustrates the devastation caused by trawlers and their non-selective fishing practices which results in the accidental deaths of many marine creatures including valued species such as turtles, dolphins, sharks, and in this case, a whale shark.
Trawling, along with other destructive fishing practices, such as the the use of push and surrounding nets, are responsible for the rapid deterioration of the marine ecology in Thai waters over the past 30 years.
Fishing is a lucrative business which generated over 221 billion baht in 2017, according to the Fisheries Department. One of the world's top seafood exporters, Thailand exported 1.5 million tonnes of fishery products last year.
Behind this main driver of the Thai economy, environmental activists and local fisherfolk have risked their lives over the years chasing away trawlers fishing in protected marine areas. Unheard bullets were fired in the middle of the ocean. Some workers were exploited through harsh working conditions on boats.
Back in 1998, Thai waters were full of fishing vessels -- 9,161 trawlers, 1,289 of the vessels had surrounding nets and 861 push nets, according to Fisheries Department figures. Some local fishermen reported finding many "ghost ships" -- fishing vessels not licenced or using licences of other boats. The use of small-mesh nets were ubiquitous, leaving very little chance for young fish to escape.
It's hard to estimate how many by-catch creatures have been dragged from the sea. One migrant worker who survived harsh conditions on a large trawler once told me that, "every time we pulled in the net, there would always be creatures we didn't want. We often found dolphins and turtles".
The threat to marine life was ignored for a very long time. A few of the main reasons were the lavish benefits for certain business groups and the boost to macroeconomic statistics.
The illegal fishing business was eventually reeled in back in April 2015, when the European Union (EU) issued a "yellow card" warning Thailand for its failure to curb Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. The warning came with a threat to ban Thai seafood products from the EU -- Thailand's major seafood market which accounts for 12% of overall seafood export value -- if the country failed to resolve the problem.
The EU's move jolted the Thai government and the fishing business into action. However, after three years of unsuccessful state attempts to lift the yellow card despite intensifying the fight against IUU fishing, banning push nets, implementing new fishery and migrant worker laws, the ocean is still under threat.
In 2017, as a result of the government revising fishing vessel and gear registration, the number of trawlers in Thai waters shrunk to 3,725. Fishing boats with surrounding nets slightly declined to 1,174. Despite declining numbers, the threat to marine life has not receded. Non-selectivity is still destroying the ocean as we saw with the recent capture of the whale shark off Phuket.
Some activists have called on the government to ban trawlers. But the state has never responded positively as it seems to give priority to economic growth, and seafood is one of major keys to spurring that growth.
But we must not forget that the Thai economy depends highly on a healthy ocean in other respects, not just on commercial fishing. Ocean-related tourism has attracted millions of visitors each year, generating the country a huge income.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand's southern region office reported that, in 2017, tourism in that region alone generated over 750 billion baht.
Whale sharks are stars among divers who love the ocean and willingly pay money to aid the local economy. It wouldn't be simple to estimate the value of these creatures since their benefits are both in the form of income and ecological enhancement for the ocean. Greater attempts to get rid of destructive fishing practices are a must. But we need boldness from all parties to achieve that.