Looking for spearfishing friends in Thaïland (east coast, Koh Chang, etc.)

[neutrinou]

Hi,

Everything is in the title. I am new in Thaïland, not really experienced on spearfishing though I love it, and looking for sparfishing buddies. I live in Korat, but I'll go soon to Koh Chang. I hope to have good conditions there, though it is sea season. Does anyone has heard about the Koh Chang Natural Park closure ? Incidences on speargun fishing ?

Thank you very much for your answers.

Pascal

 

[MickyT]

Have you succeeded to fish a bit ? Found some buddies ?
I might be interested to go Thailand to hunt bit, looking for people who know the spots !

 

[neutrinou]

Yes I did managed to fish, but just a bit. As I said in my previous post, it is low season (and not "sea season" as I wrote by mistake). So the sea is not clear, and may be agitated. A few days to wait and it will be ok. I discovered that the Koh Chang Natural Park closure was temporary, and never meant that we could fish there.
But sorry, I cannot say that I know the spots... I only know that it is strictly forbiddent now to fish any kind of parrot. May get into real trouble.
Keep us informed (when you come, where you intend to go).

 

[Okis]

Forbidden to fish any kind of parrotfish? Is that only applied to areas in koh chang or is it all over thailand? Havent heard about this and i usually get 1 or 2 bluebars everytime i shorehunt here in Phuket

 

[neutrinou]

I really don't know about other islands. But I am absolutely sure about Koh Chang (3 different liable sources). Maybe just local because there is a lot of military grounds here, and you get trouble with the military if they happen to know you caught parrots.

 

[Woohoo]

Does anyone has heard about the Koh Chang Natural Park closure ? Incidences on speargun fishing ?

Marine national parks are off limits for spearfishing. That includes Koh Chang and the 50 other islands that make up the park.

I don't believe there is any official ban on hunting parrot fish outside of national parks.

 

[neutrinou]

In the island where I was, a farang who lives there and several locals (who don't know each other) told me that I may really get into trouble if they would catch me with a parrot, i.e. take my speargun and stuff. These people did not have any reason to keep me from fishing, on the contrary. I suppose that there are nationwide protected areas for certain kinds of fish, but a local decree may forbid to fish certain species. I would be surprised if my kind contradictor would know about any local decision anywhere in Thailand. To my opinion, caution advised. Anyway, everybody is free to do whatever.

 

[Woohoo]

It's a moot point. It's impossible for there to be a 'local' ban on any one species of fish, inside a national marine park where it's completely illegal to kill ALL species of fish.

It isn't illegal to kill a parrotfish in Koh Chang because it's a Parrot fish. It is illegal to kill a Parrot fish in Koh Chang because Koh Chang is a National marine park where all spearfishing is illegal.

 

[neutrinou]

Apologies, I made a mistake, and talked in my second post of Koh Chang instead of Koh Kut where it is forbidden to kill parrots.

 

[Okis]

Ahhh, didnt know Koh chang was actually part of a marine park. Thank for the info!