Fishing in Thailand

Thailand has a long coastline, many rivers, swamps and canals so fishing has always been an important Thai industry.
Thai people fish from sailboats, motor boats and small rowing boats. The boats set out early in the morning and return several hours later. Fishermen catch anchovies, mackerel and snapper. The fish and other seafood is hauled onto the boats in nets.
Other seafood caught includes eels, prawns, crabs and shrimp.

Thai fisherman carries crab pots to his boat. Crabs crawl into the pots and are trapped.

When the fishing boats return, the catch is hauled ashore in long baskets and immediately sold fresh or taken to markets.

Many of the fish caught off the coast are sold to other countries, either as frozen or canned fish.

Fish farming

Fish are also farmed in ponds. Over the ponds a chicken house is built and the fish feed on chicken droppings and grain fed to the chickens, which falls through the floorboards of the chicken house.

Thai man fishes with a net in a river.

Thai people eat fresh fish as well as dried fish. Dried fish is fish that has been covered with salt and laid on racks to dry in the sun. The salt and the drying stops the fish going bad.

Fish are laid on racks to dry in the sun

Fish sauce

Thai people also make a salty fish sauce called, naam pla. It's made with anchovies, which are placed in huge wooden barrels layered with salt. The barrels are left for about 6 months. The salt causes the fish to dissolve in that time, after which the liquid is drained off and bottled. The sauce is mixed with chili, vinegar and sugar, and used as a tasty dipping sauce for many Thai foods.

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Thailand (2001). [Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au

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updated February 2001