Role of Women
In all cases, women played an important role in obtaining income supplement to support the fishing families. In Chanthaburi province, for example, fishers targeted small shrimp for in-house processing into dried shrimp (i.e., cooked and sun dried for a couple of days). Ten kilograms of fresh shrimp priced at 1.50 USD per kilogram on average when processed into 1 kg of dried shrimp could be sold at 6–30 USD per kilogram, depending on the size. Demand for dried shrimp has been high because of the rise in both domestic and export markets. Women also helped with gear making and maintenance, especially of gill nets, which need to be fixed or reassembled every 3–4 months. In Ranong and Krabi provinces, women received training to participate in non-fisheries-related activities such as handicraft making, batik painting, and sewing, earning them supplementary income for the households. This skill development was part of the post-Tsunami recovery program provided by the governments and nongovernmental organizations. Many women in the fishing households in Prachuab Khiri Khan province, on the other hand, worked on the farm and the plantation
Relationship with Fishmongers
Our study revealed that one of the unique qualities of the small-scale fisheries playing a significant role in poverty aversion was the long-term relationship that fishers had with local fishmongers. In each studied village, there were often two or three fishmongers who lived there and had good rapport with fishers and the villagers. There was a sense of loyalty that fishers had toward their fishmongers, who often provided them with credits to buy nets, ice, and fuel. All interviewed fishers indicated that they got fair prices from the local fishmongers, and were generally happy with the arrangement. Because there was usually more than one fishmonger in the village, as well as those in the nearby areas, fishmongers did not have market monopoly and thus tended to offer comparable prices. This situation greatly benefited fishers, making it possible for them to obtain reasonable income for their catches.
Market Cooperatives
Another post-harvest strategy that fishers in Krabi used was to form locally-based market cooperatives. These cooperatives were established to enable fishers to set their own prices for their catches and to take control of the sale. Such mechanisms helped reduce fishers’ dependency on the fishmongers and the middlepersons, as well as allowed them to gain bargaining power and increase income. Support from the governments has been provided in terms of training to fishers on business and financial management, thus building their capacity for organization. In addition to the market cooperatives, other forms of local organization and initiatives have been implemented in many fishing villages. For example, several local financial saving groups were organized to offer low interest loans to fishers and other villagers.
Migrant Fishers
Thai small-scale fishing communities are generally small (about 100–150 households) and they mostly convey strong social ties. While many households are related, they do extend their care to non-related village elders and those who require assistance, provided that the persons are considered good members of the communities. The demographic change in the communities is normally small, with few new fishers entering the villages either through marriage or recommendation by the earlier settlers. Newcomers are mostly welcome to the area, as long as they follow the fishing regulations and the informal local rules. There seems to be limits, however, to what the locals will tolerate, and with the declining resource status, competition from outsiders is a concern. For example, conflicts with the new entrants in the fisheries were mentioned in some of the villages in all four provinces, due largely to the use of destructive and more powerful fishing gears by these newcomers.
In Ranong and Krabi provinces, the problem was further complicated with migrant workers coming from Burma, many of whom worked as crew members for the industrial fishing companies. Additionally, some of them engaged in small-scale fishing activities, using illegal fishing gears in some instances, thus competing directly with the local fishers. The lack of familiarity and connectivity to the sea and to the local communities of these foreign fishers raised doubts in the minds of the local people about their interests in the protection of fisheries ecosystems and resource sustainability. The added dilemma was the change in the marine environment after the Tsunami, as previously mentioned, which minimized the advantages of local fishers in their local knowledge about fishing grounds and the sea condition. Local Thai small-scale fishers post-Tsunami have been put at par with the Burmese migrant fishers and other new entrants when it comes to knowing where and when to fish with what gears. Several fishers also commented that the migrant workers seemed to work a lot harder than the locals, adding to their fear of being taken over in the fishing livelihoods by these newcomers