The alarm was raised after people reported hundreds of small fish – all dead – along a one-kilometre stretch at the southern end of of Patong Beach at about 5pm to 6pm yesterday (Dec 19).
“The dead fish came from the fishermen who operate out of Klong Pakbang at the southern end of Patong,” Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup told The Phuket News today (Dec 20).
“The fishing community there use beach seines at the south end of Patong Beach. I checked with them and they explained that the small fish were discarded after the fishermen discovered they had caught bigger fish in the nets,” she explained.
“I will remind them that their actions affect people’s impressions of Patong, and that although they have legal permits to use nets to fish there, they must be responsible and take care of our environment,” Mayor Chalermluck noted.
“This was not the result of wastewater. If it were, I must see the initial report about it so I can fix problem the quickly.
Mayor Chalermluck pointed out that her office is keeping an eye on pollutants flowing from the canal into Patong Bay.
“I can show last month’s water test results to The Phuket News tomorrow (Dec 21),” she said.
Pornsri Suthanaruk, Chief of the “Regional Environment Office 15”, based in Phuket, confirmed that her office had investigated the report, and would not take any further action.
“My officers explained to me that this incident resulted from fishing practices used at Patong Beach, not from polluted water,” she told The Phuket News today.
Ms Pornsri noted that her office has long been aware of beach seines used at Patong.
“In this case, it is not necessary yet to conduct water-quality tests, which are costly, and Patong Municipality’s wastewater-treatment plant is good enough,” she said.