Thailand blue swimming crab - bottom gillnet/trap

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Overview

The Surat Thani blue swimming crab fishery is an important export product for Thailand with an export value of $60-80 million USD. The unit of assessment is located in the Gulf of Thailand Gulf of Thailand (between 6° and 13.5° North and 99° and 104.5° East). There are a number of critical issues facing this fishery, including the overexploitation of populations in heavily fished inshore areas, harvest of undersized crab and gravid females, lack of management plans or harvest strategies, and lack of enforcement capacity. Through the active involvement of FIP stakeholders - including the Department of Fisheries (DoF), Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), Thai Frozen Food Association (TFFA), Thai Crab Product Group (TCPG) - and FIP participants, the sustainability challenges facing this fishery are being addressed.

FIP Description 

The Surat Thani blue swimming crab fishery is an important export product for Thailand with an export value of $60-80 million USD.

FIP Objective(s) 

The objective of this FIP is to achieve a standard necessary for MSC certification by the end of 2024. 

FIP Type 
Comprehensive
FIP Stage 
Stage 5: Improvements on the Water
Start and Projected End Dates
February 2017
December 2024
Update 
The completion date has been extended because of the effects from Covid, and some Milestones require an Annual Evaluation process by an assessor to evaluate whether that Milestone has been completed.
Next Progress Report Due 
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Species 
Common Name 
Blue Swimming Crab
Scientific Name
Portunus pelagicus
Gear Type 
Bottom Gillnet
Pot/Trap
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 71 (Pacific, Western Central)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Thailand
Geographic Scope 
Surat Thani Province
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
4,450 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
28,800 metric tons
Landings Date 
December 2022
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
February 01, 2017
86% 14%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF

A Advanced Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.

  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
Jun 2024
Target End Date
Dec 2024
Additional Impacts:
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FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Thai Frozen Foods Association
Organization Type 
Industry
Primary Contact 
Pramook Takiankam
Phone 
662 235 5622
Organization Name 
Thai Frozen Foods Association
Organization Type 
Industry
Primary Contact 
Sudarat Ninrat
Phone 
662 235 5623
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
3146