SCG leads over 900 volunteers to build fish homes, return fertility to eastern coast and fortify Thai local fishery in sustainable way

SCG leads over 900 volunteers to build fish homes
Return fertility to eastern coast and fortify Thai local fishery in sustainable way

Rayong (23 June 2018) – SCG, in cooperation with government agencies and local fishing community, hosted “Conserving Water from the Mountains to the Mighty Rivers… Volunteer Building SCG Fish Home” at Laem Charoen Public Park, Rayong province. The activity this year is part of SCG’s continuing efforts to drive forward the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s philosophy’s water resource sustainable management “Conserving Water from the Mountains to the Mighty Rivers” project, which has been carried out in many regions of the country with comprehensive water resource management in consideration to the unique environment and specific needs in each area from upstream to downstream. More than 900 volunteers nationwide participated in the event to build a total of 50 artificial fish homes, which will be placed underwater as marine nursery habitats. SCG Fish Home will help restore coastal marine ecosystems while at the same time improve living conditions and foster local fisher folk empowerment.

Initiated in 2011, SCG Fish Home project has been intended to rehabilitate the marine resources and improve the quality of life of the community. Operating business in Rayong has allowed SCG to get in touch with the community and acknowledge the issues surrounding the decreasing number of aquatic animals, the company has cooperated with the Office of Marine and Coastal Resources Management 1 and Fisher Folk Group in Rayong to establish the Fish Home project. The fish home innovation is made from unused PE100 pipes which are produced from Chemicals Business’ polyethylene pipes left from SCG manufacturing’s moulding test, and is thus part of the “Waste to Value” practice according to the circular economy concept. The material is environmentally friendly and has a solid durability of over 50 years.

The SCG Fish Home project has recently entered into its 7^th year. Due date, over 1,400 fish homes were built and placed at the conserved area covering up to 35 square kilometres in Rayong, Chonburi and Chanthaburi. Local fisher folk groups have joined force and worked together to protect the conservative area, sheltering the aquatic animals and allowing them to grow.

Since the fish home project was launched in 2012, SCG has been working closely with the government agencies, the local fishing communities and marine scientists for deliberate follow-ups. According to the survey conducted in December 2017, the population density around the coastal areas where SCG’s fish homes are located has been increasing, leading to a consistent growth of biological diversity. The number of marine species found in the areas increased to 172 species, including commercial marine animals, ornamental fish, baby aquatic animals, crustaceans and plankton. to rehabilitate the marine resources and allow the number of aquatic animals to grow.

Mr. Cholanat Yanaranop, President of SCG Chemicals Co., Ltd, said, “SCG has cooperated with government sectors and the community to manage water resources in Rayong through a range of collaborative activities, including the Yai Da Mountains check dam construction project in the upstream to the Fish Home project in the downstream. The key method that contributes to the project’s continued success for over the past 6 years are not only about the constructions we made in the forms of fish homes or check dams, it’s the community and all related parties who singleheartedly join force to carry on the conservation. The power of volunteers is another factor that leads the projects to success as well. Since launched, over 10,000 volunteers nationwide have joined us in building fish homes and spreading the conservation mindset.”

“To reduce the costs and time, and prevent damage possibly caused by the original fish home laying pattern, SCG has recently developed a new placement method. This year we attached 10 fish homes close to one another in a raft on the shore, and use plastic buoys as a tool to pass them to the specified areas of placement. In addition, SCG is currently under the process of producing fish homes from recyclable plastic waste generally found on the beach and communities according to the circular economy concept,” Mr. Cholanat added.

Rayong Deputy Governor Mr. Teerawat Sudsook, said, “Local fishery has been Rayong’s local wisdom for many years, and is considered the pride of the Rayong people. Meanwhile, the industrial sector is also one of the significant gears that has been driving the province’s economy simultaneously. I am pleased to see both industrial sectors and fishing communities collaborating to conserve and rehabilitate the coastal and marine resources today. I also believe that SCG’s Fish Home project will help ignite other natural resource development projects in Rayong in the future in accordance with the province’s vision ‘The City of Innovation with Balanced Development the Basis of Sufficiency’ and continue to support the lives and careers of the people and the industry in a sustainable manner.”

Mr. Puchong Saritdeechaikul, Director of Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Centre 1, said “SCG Fish Home project aligns well with the Office’s mission to protect and rehabilitate the marine resources and to encourage conservation movement among the community. To achieve the target, it requires single-minded, unified community members and community rules to ensure proper resource conservation. It is also important to instill the spirit of environmental conservation among all parties concerned and have them joined force in the conservation movement. The fish homes as we see today are the result of the contribution from everyone. They will serve as a ‘bank of the sea’ that the fisher folk can cultivate and rely on in a sustainable manner.”

 Mr. Maitree Rodpon, President of Fisher Folk Community Enterprise of Mueang District and Baan Chang Samakkee District, said, “The fisher folk’ participation in SCG Fish Home project not only allows us to help create fertility to the marine biology system, but also helps strengthen and unify the fishery groups, leading to a strong community network. We are committed to pass on the local fishery wisdom and environmentally-conscious way of life to our children and the next generations in order to maintain the fisher folk legacy.”   

SCG is planning to continue expanding the Fish Home project to cover all fisher folk groups in the eastern coast by 2020. More 400 fish homes are expected to be placed on the ocean grounds by next year.