Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome
and city officials symbolically release fish and shrimp to generate
interest in the project to restore the area’s natural resources.
Warunya Thongrod
Work on the final segment of a Jomtien Beach
artificial reef got underway April 24 with top Pattaya officials helping
to release fish and shrimp into the sea.
Crews began to load the first of 1,300 concrete pipes
on to boats at Pier 2 April 24. They will be laid in about 10-15 meters
of water between 1 and 1.5 kilometers off Jomtien Beach through the end
of May. The project is the latest stage of the “Baan Pla” program, which
saw the first concrete pipes and cubes dropped in the bay five years
ago.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome, Deputy Mayor Ronakit
Ekasingh and city council members helped release 15,000 sea bass and
shrimp from the Chonburi Fishing Association into the ocean to help get
the project started, although the reef is not yet completed and the
coral necessary to support marine life will take at least a year to
begin growing.
“This project was organized because natural resources
have been destroyed, decreasing the number of aquatic animals,” Ronakit
said. “It has become necessary to increase the aquatic animals by
creating an ecosystem attracting fish to take shelter and hide from prey
to revive and preserve the coastal aquatic system.”
Itthiphol said the reef will also improve
water-focused tourism and help the fishing industry.