Thailand tagged posts

Underneath the calm turquoise waters off eastern Thailand, a rapidly spreading disease is killing corals over vast stretches of the sea floor, and scientists fear it may be getting worse because of climate change.

Yellow-band disease – named for the colour it turns corals before destroying them – was first spotted decades ago and has caused widespread damage to reefs in the Caribbean. There is no known cure.

But it was detected for the first time off Thailand’s eastern coast just last year, near the popular tourist city of Pattaya, and has already spread over roughly 600 acres (240 hectares) of the sea.

“I haven’t seen anything like this before,” said marine scientist Lalita Putchim, of Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.

“Everywhere we went we saw it, and w...

Thailand began the year with a ban on single-use plastic bags that Bangkok office worker Nicha Singhanoi hoped would cut back the waste that puts her country among the world’s top five choking the oceans with plastic. Then the coronavirus pandemic forced school closures and authorities told people to stay home, and far from falling, Bangkok’s plastic waste has soared 62% in volume in April, as more people opt for food and goods to be delivered to homes.

“There is so much bubble wrap and product packaging, or bags and containers from food deliveries,” said Nicha, 27, an avid online shopper, who said that working from home deprived her of the time to cook.

Even if the pandemic eases, environmentalists fear Thailand is simply a pointer for the situation elsewhere in Southeast Asia, h...

This time of year, beaches are usually flooded with people celebrating the warming weather. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, beaches around the world are the emptiest they’ve ever been — when it comes to humans, that is. And in Phuket, Thailand, rare leatherback sea turtles have been taking advantage of the tourist-free beaches, and are nesting at unprecedented rates.

Rare sea turtles and reef sharks are some of the endangered species that have been sighted in recent weeks off the coast of Thailand, where beaches have been emptied of tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although experts warn that the pandemic may also have a negative impact on marine life. In early April, Thailand, which had close to 40 million tourists last year, closed its borders to the arrival of foreign visitors.

“With the pandemic, human activities have reduced. Businesses have closed and motor boat operations for tourists have stopped. This translates to fewer factors disrupting the life of animals. Now, they can go out to look for food more peacefully,” Teeranai Phetsom, a marine biologist operating in several natural parks along the west coast, told Efe news.

According to th...

Amid mounting concern surrounding of environmental damage on Thai islands frequented by tourists, Singha Estate in May opened a Marine Discovery Centre at the Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort to raise awareness about the importance of marine biodiversity and conservation.

The Marine Discovery Centre houses four zones – the Shark Room, the Phi Phi Islands Room, the Clownfish Room and the Auditorium – and offers visitors interactive displays with educational material about unique marine species endemic to the region.

The new environmental attraction will also be a base for the re-introduction of clownfish, as well as breeding bamboo sharks and replanting coral reefs.

The company is also collaborating with national park officials, local communities and the Faculty of Fisheries at Kaset...

Chumpon Dive Site
Koh Tao
Thailand

Date of Dive 27/05/17
Time: 11:00 hrs
Bottom Time: 40 – 50 minutes

Sea pinnacle, horse mackerel bank, croaker, anemones, mere, bat fishes, giant crabs and squids.

Shark Bay
Koh Tao
Thailand
Date: 26/05/17
Time: 12:00 hrs
Bottom time: 40 – 50 mins

Gobi, brain corals, lobster

Shark Bay
Koh Tao
Thailand
26/05/17
Bottom Time: 40 – 50 minutes

Small reef sharks, Sea snake

White Beach
Koh Tao
Dive 25/05/17 – 14:00 hrs
Bottom time: 50 – 60 minutes

Angel fish, Crossbow fish, Morena, Dog fish, Parrot fish, Sergent fish

Each month, fishermen in the Gulf of Thailand risk their lives harvesting live sea snakes. It’s risky for both parties: the snakes are in danger of being over-harvested and the fishermen could get bitten. Scientists are now calling for a monitoring programme to assess the impact the on-going trade will have on their population numbers and to look how it affects the ecosystem. A team reports in the journal Conservation Biology that fishermen have noticed a decline in their population since 2009. The researchers now want to understand if this is due to overfishing or other factors like pollution.

The fishermen fish for squid with nets and hooks, and at the same time pick up hundreds of deadly sea snakes. The snakes have particularly potent venoms, which can be lethal...