Andaman Sea - Human Activities

Human Activities

The sea has been used for fishing and transportation of goods between the coastal countries. Thailand alone has produced about 943,000 tonnes in 2005 and about 710,000 tonnes in 2000. Of those 710,000 tonnes, 490,000 account for trawling (1,017 vessels), 184,000 for purse seine (415 vessels) and about 30,000 for gillnets. The production numbers are significantly smaller for Malaysia and are comparable, or higher, for Burma. Competition for fish resulted in numerous conflicts between Burma and Thailand. In 1998 and 1999, they resulted in fatalities on both sides and nearly escalated into a military conflict between these countries. In both cases, Thai navy intervened when Burmese vessels tried to intercept Thai fishing boats in the contested sea areas, and Thai fighter aircraft were thought to be deployed by the National Security Council. Thai fishing boats were also frequently confronted by the Malaysian navy to the extent that Thai government had to caution its own fishermen against fishing without license, in foreign waters.

The 2004 marine production in Thailand was divided as follows: pelagic fish 33%, demersal fish 18%, cephalopod 7.5%, crustaceans 4.5%, trash fish 30% and others 7%. Trash fish refers to non-edible species, edible species of low commercial value and juveniles, which are released to the sea. Pelagic fishes were distributed between anchovies (Stolephorus spp., 19%), Indo-Pacific mackerel (Rastrelliger brachysoma, 18%), sardinellas (Sardinellars spp., 14%), scad (11%), longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol, 9%), eastern little tuna (Euthynnus affinis, 6%), trevallies (6%), bigeye scad (5%), Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta, 4%), king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla, 3%), torpedo scad (Megalaspis cordyla, 2%), wolf herrings (1%) and others (2%). Demersal fish production was dominated by purple-spotted bigeye (Priacanthus tayenus), threadfin bream (Nemipterus hexodon), brushtooth lizardfish (Saurida undosquamis), slender lizardfish (Saurida elongata) and Jinga shrimp (Metapenaeus affinis). Most species are overfished since 1970s–1990s, except for Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commersoni), carangidae and torpedo scad (Meggalaspis spp.). The overal overfishing rate was 333% for pelagic and 245% for demersal species in 1991. Cephalopods are divided into squid, cuttlefish and molluscs, where squid and cuttlefish in Thai waters consists of 10 families, 17 genera and over 30 species. The main mollusk species captured in the Andaman Sea are scallop, blood cockle (Anadara granosa) and short-necked clam. Their collection requires bottom dredge gears, which damage the sea floor and the gears themselves and are becoming unpopular. So, the mollusk production has decreased from 27,374 tonnes in 1999 to 318 tonnes in 2004. While crustaceans composed only 4.5% of the total marine products in 2004 by volume, they accounted for 21% of the total value. They were dominated by banana prawn, tiger prawn, king prawn, school prawn, bay lobster (Thenus orientalis), mantis shrimp, swimming crabs and mud crabs. The total catch in 2004 was 51,607 tonnes for squid and cuttlefish and 36,071 tonnes for crustaceans.

The sea’s mineral resources include tin deposits off the coasts of Malaysia and Thailand. Major ports are Dawei, Mawlamyine, Mergui, Pathein and Yangon in Burma; George Town and Penang in Malaysia; and Belawan in Indonesia.

The Andaman Sea, particularly the western coast of Malay Peninsula, is rich in coral reefs and offshore islands with spectacular topography, such as Phuket, Phi Phi Islands, Ko Tapu and islands of Krabi Province. Despite having been devastated by the 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami, they remain popular tourist destinations. The nearby coast also has numerous marine national parks – 16 only in Thailand, and four of them are candidates for inclusion into UNESCO World Heritage Sites.