Multiple whale sharks near Pattaya and space junk off Phuket
Island Wrap #40: Travel & Environment edition for May 7-20, 2021
Welcome to the Island Wrap, your bi-weekly window to the islands and coastal areas of Thailand. This edition breaks from the country’s ongoing Covid-19 outbreak to share wildlife sightings and environmental, travel and other stories related to coastal Thailand. As always, thank you for reading.
Coming soon, the health and tourism edition of the Island Wrap will summarize the current coronavirus situation with news on outbreaks, vaccinations, travel restrictions and more. We’re also keeping a close eye on developments related to Thailand’s ‘sandbox’ plans for reopening inbound tourism without quarantine, and we plan to address some of these issues in a separate article soon.
And if you missed it, check out this recent story about running a solo marathon during a tropical depression on Noppharat Thara Beach in Krabi.
Over on Couchfish, Stuart is taking it easy due to health concerns but he did publish a nifty metro-style map of Southeast Asian destinations covered on the Travelfish site. Just imagine if traveling from Khao San Road to Kuala Lumpur and down to Flores in Indonesia was a simple matter of jumping on the blue line!
Pick of the Wrap: WEBSITE
Time and again I’ve found that articles from Southeast Asia Globe deliver nuanced angles on important issues that are often overlooked in the region. Some of their Thailand-related reads include Wanpen Jai’s story on the movement for indigenous land rights in Kaeng Krachan; Ryan Anders’s report on making cash out of ocean waste in Pattani; and Kiana Duncan’s recent look at Thailand’s hugely successful “food diplomacy” around the globe. This fantastic team of journalists is currently raising funds so do consider offering support, if you’re so inclined.
Weather and shipwrecks
Missing fishing crew member found deceased three days after capsized boat incident in Sattahip — Nop Meechukhun for The Pattaya News:
He was one of two fishers who sadly drowned after their squid boat sank in rough seas in the pre-dawn hours of May 9th. The two other crew members “survived as they used empty fuel and water barrels to support themselves until help arrived.”
After seven days, authorities are accelerating the search for a fishing boat captain in Chaiya district — Thai PBS (Thai language):
The wife of the lost fishing boat owner suspects murder after divers and other members of a search team were unable to find a body in the vicinity of the Ang Thong island group near Ko Samui. He disappeared back on May 3rd.
Additionally, the Dept. of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) reports that a nine-year-old girl sadly drowned after being caught in strong waves off Wanakon Beach, part of a small national park in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, on May 9th.
In more recent days, heavy rains and minor flooding hit several parts of the upper Gulf coast, including Bangkok and Pattaya. Down in the Andaman Sea, a more powerful storm is bringing wind and rough seas to Thai islands while bearing down on parts of eastern India, Bangladesh and Myanmar, as I write this.
Environment
84 illegal fishing traps seized in Pattani — Abdullah Benjakat for Bangkok Post:
The discoveries off Tanyong Luloh near the capital of Pattani province are part of an ongoing push to rid Thai waters of illegal collapsable fish traps. Measuring five meters in length, these destructive traps capture all sorts of marine species, including protected species, and many of them die before the trappers return.
Just 20 firms behind more than half of single-use plastic waste - study — David Shukman for BBC:
A study led by the Minderoo Foundation found that PTT, an oil and gas corporation based in Thailand, is one of 20 firms producing immense amounts of plastics being poured into the ocean waste crisis. "We need to go after the tap, to turn off the tap of fossil fuel plastics and we need to create plastics from recycled material," says the foundation's director of finance and transparency, referring to the trend of blaming consumers for plastic waste rather than the producers.
Cabinet green lights ASEAN regional action plan on combating ocean waste — Matichon (Thai language):
Elements of this region-wide proposal include "reducing the introduction of plastic, promoting proper storage, reducing leakage and creating value for recycled plastic." A public awareness and education campaign is also being emphasized.
Meanwhile, grassroots efforts to remove ocean waste from reefs, coastlines and rivers are continuing in many parts of coastal Thailand each week. One recent example comes from Ko Surin in the upper Andaman Sea, where the indigenous Moken people recently removed two tons of plastic waste and transported it via longtail boat to a recycling center on the mainland. Incentivizing islanders to clean up their shores, these efforts are part of a collaboration with Fondation Jan & Oscar, a Ranong-based non-profit organization that I featured in a previous Island Wrap.
Wildlife
Start with this thrilling video of fishermen in Phang Nga freeing a mature whale shark from their trawling net on May 13th, and then check out images of a young whale shark that survived being tangled by a fishing rope near Sattahip in the upper Gulf. In nearby Si Racha, a whale shark sadly turned up dead on the bulbous bow of an ocean liner carrying cargo to Laem Chabang Port from Hong Kong.
Whale sharks also made appearances in less distressing circumstances in the Ko Chang archipelago and near Ko Phai, one of the gorgeous uninhabited islands found west of Ko Larn and Pattaya. Three whale shark sightings off the coast of Chonburi province over only five days (May 7-12) is highly unusual, even if one was dead. Down in the central Andaman, footage surfaced of a reef shark hunting within inches of the beach, where a monitor lizard looks a little bit spooked.
Bryde’s whales are back in the upper Gulf — with two previously unseen calfs in tow. The whale known among Phetchaburi whale watchers as ‘Mother Thongdee’ is now thought to be a grandmother after a newborn calf appeared, while a second calf was spotted with other Bryde’s (or Eden) whales a little further north off the Samut Sakhon coast on the same day. (Thai Whales is a terrific resource if you’re interested in seeing Bryde’s whales both online and in person near Phetchaburi.)
The DMCR posted a video of a lone dugong feeding on seagrass near Ko Ra in Phang Nga province, an area where these ‘sea cows’ are not often seen. The state of nutrient-rich seagrass near Ko Ra and Ko Phra Thong improved in recent years, giving marine scientists hope that more dugongs will gravitate towards that area after years of being largely confined to Ko Libong and Ko Si Boya further south.
A recent survey at Ko Libong counted Thailand’s largest endangered dugong herd at 165 — an improved number compared to a decade ago — to go with seagrass that bounced back after swathes of it was buried by sediment caused by dredging in the Trang River last year. Indeed, the dugong situation is looking up.
In Krabi province, villagers from the Khlong Prasong area helped to free a bottlenose dolphin that got stuck in the shallows after losing its pod.
Over on Phuket, locals are still waiting patiently for the hatching of a green sea turtle nest that was laid almost two months ago in Rawai — and that should be happening any day now. Up in Chonburi province, a green sea turtle that was found ailing in a mangrove forest near Sattahip is being treated for plastic waste ingestion, which is unfortunately very common among sea turtles in the Gulf.
In other wildlife news:
The 1,000-year secret that made betta fish beautiful — Annie Roth for The New York Times:
"Bettas, also known as the Siamese fighting fish, did not become living works of art on their own. The betta’s elaborate colors and long, flowing fins are the product of a millennium of careful selective breeding."
Two pythons rescued after being stuck in a fishing net in Ban Bueng — Goong Nang for The Pattaya News:
Not only sea turtles and sharks get tangled in fishing debris.
Go butterfly watching at Kaeng Krachan Park — Karnjana Karnjanatawe for Bangkok Post:
Follow this brief article with dazzling footage from the Dept. of National Parks showing some of the countless butterflies that emerge each year in rainy season in Kaeng Krachan, Thailand’s largest national park.
Social media corner
Of the many limestone caves that dot Thailand’s islands and coastal areas, few are as impressive as Tham Phraya Nakhon in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. This post from @thaispicytravel shows how at certain times of day, sun rays blanket a graceful sala built in the late 19th century to honor a visit by King Chulalongkorn.
Travel
Ko Tao: the divers’ paradise — Luke Yeung for Bangkok 101:
Do give these 11 mesmerizing photos from below and above water a look.
This magical lake in Thailand is like being in Avatar and Atlantis at the same time — Rasina Uberoi Bajaj for Travel & Leisure Southeast Asia:
See why the karst-rimmed reservoir at the center of Khao Sok National Park is among the most spectacular bodies of freshwater on the continent.
A different side of the Green Lung — Pattarawadee Saengmanee for Bangkok Post:
Springing from a trip to Bang Kachao, the rural and watery riverine isle on the outskirts of Bangkok, this story covers a 100-year-old teak house, a community forest, an art studio, a boat ride and plenty more.
‘Serpent’ a huge TV draw — Wassayos Ngamkham for Bangkok Post:
Revisit the Bangkok Post article that first broke the story of the ‘Serpent’ killer in 1976, and meet the aging Thai Interpol officer who helped track him down. For more background on the making of the Netflix miniseries covering this true crime story, also check out the Bangkok Podcast’s recent interview with a co-producer.
Video corner
Head to Krabi to virtually climb up to seven peaks affording breathtaking views of one of the most visually impressive provinces in Thailand. While the filmmaker made it to viewpoints on Railay, Ko Hong, Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phi and Laem Sak, among other spots, I have to note that they left out the mountaintop on Ko Pu.
(Source: TAT Krabi)
In other news
Fishermen in Rayong demand compensation for sea reclamation — Thai PBS World:
While I touched on the recent ‘400 boat protest’ in the Island Wrap two weeks ago, this article has a bit more detail on what the locals are asking for in response to expanding industry along the coast in the Map Ta Phut area.
British activist cleared in Thai pineapple defamation case — CNA via AFP:
"After years of ongoing judicial harassment that has taken a heavy toll on me, my family and my colleagues, this is not a victory," said activist Andy Hall after Natural Fruit dropped its case seeking 300 million baht ($9.6 million USD) over Hall’s 2012 statements alleging "poor working conditions, low wages and child labor." This is one of many examples of the rich and powerful using Thailand’s defamation laws in attempts to muzzle those who work to expose the truth.
Thailand: land rights activist gunned down — Human Rights Watch
"Somsak Onchuenjit had led a campaign for the right to agricultural land for poor villagers in his district (in Trang province)."
Two tourism service centers cost 10 million baht and were never opened — Sanook (Thai language):
Costing the equivalent of $319,000 USD, one of the two bamboo structures built in the shape of turtle shells to serve as visitor centers in Phang Nga province collapsed after never being used since construction was finished back in 2018. Locals are upset about the waste of public funds for public tourism infrastructure that ended up neglected, a scenario that’s been repeated many times all over the country.
Space junk fuel tank safely recovered off Phuket — Eakkapop Thongtub for The Phuket News:
Fishermen spotted the meter-wide spherical object in the shallows off Ko Aeo, a small island found seven km off the southeast coast of Phuket. After an explosive disposal unit assured that the object was not a bomb, some of Thailand’s space technology researchers deciphered that it’s most likely a fuel tank “believed to have previously contained hydrazine.” It remains unknown if the tank, which had no fuel inside when found, came from a rocket, satellite or something else. 🌴