Some 30 boats were used to block access to Bandon Bay in Surat Thani on Friday (June 12) after officials announced a temporary ban on the harvesting of cockles or hoi kraeng, also known as blood clams.
The man on the jetski was angry because other fishermen had broken through his nets which he claims were on his property.
The fishermen ignored the 1000 meter boundary and damaged a lot of his shellfish in doing so and he has no sympathy for many of the new cockle-raising entrepreneurs. He had to mortgage his home and sell his cars to make ends meet after being in debt over 2.2 million baht. He has been in business for over 18 years and he just couldn’t stand and watch people destroy his life and business.
After things got out of control between fishermen, officials announced a temporary ban on fishing in disputed areas on Thursday. Also, Local shellfish buyers have been urged to temporarily suspend their trade until the matter is resolved. Dozens of police officers and Navy officers were called to control the situation.
Mr. Jiroch Phakkliang, 48, is the president of the local fishery club in Surat Thani province revealed that in the past, a group of cockle farmers formed together to raise the cockles outside of the 1,000-meter boundary. The boundary was created to protect the area allowing local fishermen to find shellfish. But during cockle season, officials demolish the area causing fishermen to break into other areas where people were raising cockles. So since then, there have been many disputes.
The fisherman was later arrested for carrying a firearm and firing a gun in public without a reasonable cause.
