14.2.3 Overfishing (community outreach)

In 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) supported sustainable fisheries resource use through free educational outreach activities involving government officers responsible for livestock and fisheries disease management and representatives of fishing communities. The Faculty of Science contributed scientific expertise on parasite detection in snails and fish, connecting aquatic animal health knowledge with the resources that sustain fishing livelihoods. Evidence of the training is publicly available on the Faculty website.

Free Training for Fisheries and Livestock Officers on Parasites in Snails and Fish (3 July 2025)

On 3 July 2025, the Faculty of Science, SWU, through its Department of Biology, provided training to a total of 20 participants comprising government officers responsible for disease management in livestock and fisheries and representatives of fishing communities. The training was held at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi (RMUTT), and was free of charge for all participants.

The programme began with a lecture on “Snail intermediate host and their parasitic infection”, which explained the role of snails as intermediate hosts of parasites and how infections pass from snails to fish and other animals. This knowledge is a basis for disease surveillance in natural waters and aquaculture farms.

This was followed by a hands-on workshop on “Detection of parasite in snail and fish”. Participants practised detecting parasites in snail and fish samples in the laboratory, using microscopy and laboratory techniques that they can apply to diagnosis and disease surveillance in their own areas.

The 2025 training equipped participants with parasite detection techniques applicable to diagnosis and disease surveillance. It provided a scientific knowledge base relevant to aquatic animal health and the sustainable use of fisheries and aquaculture resources.

Source: https://science.swu.ac.th/sdgs/sustainable-fisheries/ 

Research That Supports the Outreach

The training builds on the work of the Faculty of Science Research and Innovation Unit for Diagnosis of Medical and Veterinary Important Parasites, which develops diagnostic tools for parasites in aquatic animals, such as a detection kit for Anisakis nematodes in commercial marine fish. The Faculty publishes its SDG 14 activities on its website so that the public can follow its work on life below water.

Source: https://science.swu.ac.th/tag/sdg-14/

Contribution of the 2025 Training to Sustainable Fisheries Awareness

Through the 2025 training, SWU disseminated scientific knowledge to officers and fishing community representatives. This knowledge can inform further educational outreach activities for local or national communities, connecting aquatic animal health with the importance of habitats and resources that sustain fishing livelihoods. With additional fisheries management content, these activities can raise awareness about overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and destructive fishing practices by promoting an understanding of fisheries rules, catch reporting, and the avoidance of fishing methods that damage aquatic habitats and nursery grounds. This approach offers opportunities to connect scientific knowledge with community experience, supporting fisheries management that considers resource sustainability and the long-term security of fishing livelihoods.