The warming of the water in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea has resulted in a rare phenomenon, being described as “steamed” grass, meaning seagrass, the main food source for dugongs, is not surviving the rise in sea temperatures.
This, in turn, is forcing mammals to stray from their habitats to seek new feeding grounds, according to Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, vice dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University.
A marine expert, Dr. Thon said that a recent study of sea grass in the Gulf and the Andaman, conducted by a research unit from the Faculty of Fisheries and the sea grass crisis committee, shows that sea grass in the Andaman Sea, off Trang and Krabi provinces and parts of Satun, are being seriously affected by global warming, resulting in unusually low tides and warmer seas.
Similar problems have also been detected in Phang-nga and Trat provinces,…
