TRANG'S fishermen have asked the government to strictly control the illegal dugong trade after they found many foreign mariners hunting the animals and smuggling them out for 50,000 baht (S$2,146) each, village leader IsmaAnn Ben SaArd said.

The illegal hunt is being carried out by foreign fishermen, especially from Satun province. They throw bombs into cairns or near coral reefs, with the resulting explosion throwing up many fish, he added.

Mr IsmaAnn explained that some wayward local fishermen have pointed out the area to foreign fishermen.

Moreover, they also use seine and large fishing nets to hunt stingray and other kinds of fish 2km from the coast. They use a local fishhook called 'Rawai' to hunt dugong, killing more than 25 of the creatures during the past month alone.

Trang authorities have announced that the Rawai is an illegal piece of fishing equipment for it endangers dugong and sea turtles.

He claimed each dugong commands a price of 50,000 baht on the black market, with its bones and teeth going for 30,000 baht. He also claimed that buyers in Singapore are biggest market for this trade, using the dead dugong to produce medicine and amulets. -- THE NATION/ANN