The sighting of a pod associated with Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins off the Pattani coast last Friday has been welcome by the Fisheries Department as a sign that will its conservation attempts are paying off.
Department director-general Chalermchai Suwannarak stated the Pattani Sea Fisheries Control Centre reported that tourists spotted six to eight dolphins not far from Khae Beach in tambon Ban Nam Bo, Panare region in the southern state.
Mister Chalermchai said the coastal area is really a conservation zone of the Panare community. Locals have been cooperating to prevent the use of illegal angling methods that harm marine habitats, he or she said.
The return of the dolphins showed the natural resources along the coastal area have got recovered, he said. In addition , strict observance of laws banning fishing in the conservation zone contributed to the recovery of the sea environment, he said.
Thailand has a national program dedicated to marine mammal conservation and administration for 2023-2027, he said, adding that it complies with the ALL OF US Marine Mammal Protection Import Act (MMPA).