Khao lak - Fishing Village

There's no doubt that the major industries in Khao Lak are tourism and fishing. The tsunami had big impacts on both. After the disaster, relief agencies and church organizations rushed in. People were asked what they needed. Most men replied they needed a fishing boat because fishing was the best job available. So many men in the community were given new boats. This immediately led to overfishing the waters in the area and now all fishermen are struggling with the lack of fish and with the high price of gas.

Below, women cleaning the day's catch from local fishing crews.

Racks of small fish fillets, drying in the sun. Dried fish is a very important food source in this region. I had dried cuttlefish (squid) for breakfast one morning. It was a lot like chewing leather with a distinctively fishy taste. I recommend sticking to Cheerios.

Larger fishing boats lined up to unload the day's catch.
This crew is re-filling the hold of their boat with ice to keep their next catch fresh. Notice how young the two boys in the middle are. It's hard to see this, but just below the ice shavings, that is ONE fish. It is a monster, wrapped all around the huge cooler. The tail starts in the lower left and it wraps around with the head near the tail. This one fish is worth several thousand baht.