System Effects on Poverty
As indicated above, the sufficiency principles may be one of the fundamental coping strategies that small-scale fishers in Thailand use to avoid falling into poverty. They are nonetheless susceptible to other stressors operating throughout the fish chain. The following captures three main challenges that fishers face related to change in the natural, social, and governance systems, which weaken their ability to avert poverty and maintain their livelihoods.
Ecosystem Alteration
The prohibition of trawlers and push-netters in the near shore area was considered by small-scale fishers to be one of the most significant contributions to their well being. Fishers indicated that they recognized the linkages between healthy ecosystems and good fisheries, and they have taken an active role in monitoring that these destructive gears are not used in their nearby waters and by members of their communities. They also expressed concern about other destructive practices such as the use of small mesh size (less than 2.5 cm) in gill nets and the use of light luring devices. Fishers in Bang Saphan village, Prachuab Khiri Khan, in particular, have been supportive of a community-based fisheries management project initiated in 1999 as part of the government program to mainly address gear conflicts, and have agreed to the demarcation of about 240 km2 for protection.
This, in essence, extends the government-designated no trawling zone from 3 km to about 12 km from shore. They have also been involved in the artificial reef construction program promoted by the government to help improve the productivity of the marine ecosystem. In addition to halting the destruction of the marine environment, the absence of trawlers helps reduce direct conflicts between the use of mobile gears (mostly large-scale) and small, stationary gears in the same area. Indirectly, fishers viewed the big boats as owned by rich people who are able to use equipment like sonar and echo sounder to catch more fish. The prohibition of large-scale trawlers, in this case, is thus also seen as a justice issue.
Small-scale fisheries in the four studied provinces, as in the rest of the country, are multi-species and multi-gears, with fishers depending on the seasonal availability of the fish species (Fig. 14.2). This versatility, also reflected in the fisheries regulations, is an important characteristic contributing to their ability to gain sufficient income from fisheries throughout the year. It also helps distribute pressure on fisheries resources, allowing the protected stocks to recover. The rotating seasonal and area closures for Indian mackerel fisheries, for example, are considered an effective measure since the prohibition applies only to this species. Fishers are still able to fish for other species during the closure and earn reasonable income. Another example that fishers gave was the switch of target species between fish and shrimp due to weather conditions. With the rich traditional and local knowledge that fishers possess, they are able to decide whether to catch fish or shrimp on certain days, and deploy the gears accordingly.