Participation of Fishermen in the Seasonal Closure Measures for Marine fishery Resources Conserv Ation: A Case Study in the Western Part of the Gulf of Thailand

Abstract

          The seasonal closure measures is an alternative that the Department of Fisheries utilizes in the management of fishery resources. The objectives of this study were to study the level of participation of fishermen on the seasonal closure measures and to study factors that influence and have relationship with the participation of fishermen. This study covered part of theGulfofThailandin the vicinity of Prachuab Kiri Khan, Chumporn andSuratThaniProvinces. Three hundred and eight fishermen were used as sample size in this study. The interview technique with structured questionnaire was used as the method for data collection. The results showed that approximately half of fishermen samples had low level of participation in the seasonal closure measures and low and medium level in planning and evaluation in the measures respectively. For factors influencing their  participation on gender, types of fishing gear groups, the result showed that there was a significant difference. With particular reference to social status, the result showed that there was a difference at a highly significant level. The factors that have relationships on levels of participation were knowledge of the seasonal measures and the realization on benefit from conservation of fishery resources which was found at a highly significant level. Other factors having a relationship to the level of participation were satisfaction with the measures, requirements of fishermen on a community-based fishery management framework, perception of fishermen on the values of the measures and perception of fishermen on a community-based fishery management framework these factors were found to have highly significant levels. In addition,  factors on the reception of information on the seasonal closure measures and reception of fishery information had a significant relationship to the level of participation of fishermen in the planning of the measures at a highly significant level. Moreover, the result of this study showed that this factor also had a relationship on participation in the implementation and evaluation at a significant level.