Pattani, one of three restive southernmost provinces, invokes images of violence instigated by insurgency. However, the province also has its bright sides. One of its brighter aspects is its small-scale local fishery industry which has served as a model for sustainable fishing for the country.
Pattani is lucky to have a long coastal area and clean environment, without heavy factories discharging polluted water or other waste into the sea. The Pattani Gulf has the richest hatchery and spawning sanctuary in the country. Meanwhile, the fishing industry has been major source of jobs for Muslim villagers. Six out of 13 districts in the province are located along the coast, with the number of fisheries workers exceeding 80, Moreover, Pattani is the only province in the country where the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has issued a ministerial regulation preventing trawlers from using destructive push-nets to fish within four nautical miles of the coastline.
The ban was partly the work of local fishers who have protested against destructive fishing gear for over 30 years. The ban helps keep trawlers away from fishing too close to coastal areas, which the local community and fisherfolk rely on to make a living. Yet, if people come to rural fishing communities in our province, they'll see life is relatively normal.
A press trip was arranged by the Internal Security Operations Command Isoc with the intention of helping promote peace and boost livelihoods in the restive southern provinces. Chao Lay School serves as a famous model for sustainable fishing and the Fishery Department has even brought officials and experts to help. Founded by local fishers, the school is in tambon Ban Klang in Panare, a coastal district about 50 kilometres from Muang Pattani municipality. Among the much-visited sites is the "Horse Crab Bank" that comprises of two-horse crab hatchery projects.
Panare has been famous for its horse crab products that are fresh and grown in a clean environment and caught by environmentally friendly catching methods. Local fishermen in Panare have their own way of preserving their famous crab stocks. They have developed the community's horse crab hatchery project to replenish small crab stocks into the sea.
