News

    Walailak University Lecturer and Director of Walailak University Blue Crab Bank project presents the project’s success scheme, as a model research project, under the title “Creating the Blue Crab Bank Network for BCG Economic Model-based development” in a national research congress, the NRCT Open House 2022 on 15 June 2022. The project has expanded its impact scope from biological resource restoration to tourism and other aspects capitalizing on the cultural uniqueness of Nakhon Si Thammarat and all is to empower economic progress using innovations and technologies as proposed by the BCG Economic Model. it was spearheaded by Asst. Prof. Dr. Amonsak Sawusdee, Director of Blue Crab Bank Project with the mission to restore blue crab resources in coastal fishery communities of Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani. Testifying its success, the project had earlier earned several national recognitions – Excellence Award for Learning Center of the Blue Crab Bank project, Excellence Award in Thailand Research Expo 2021, and recently Excellence Award in Economic Agritech 2022 – from Agritech and Innovation Center Nakhon Si Thammarat, and later nationally across the Agritech category. 

     Among the 12 institutes implementing the project, Walailak University has operated large-scaled producing the outcome in line with several global indicators i.e., the United Nation’s SDGs (Goal 14: Life below water) and BCG Economic Model, a newly adopted research concept incorporating Thailand’s unique biological resources and innovation for development in four areas, food and agriculture, Medical and Wellness, Bioenergy, Biomaterial and Biochemical, and Tourism and Creative Economy. 

     Asst. Prof. Dr. Amonsak explained further that in order to be recognized as a model project by the NRCT, two major criteria must 1) generate tangible impacts on the economy, society, and environment and 2) prioritize outcome – practical application of the project – rather than the outputs measured by prescribed key indicators. 

  As for the economic flow, the Blue Crab project succeeded in multiplying blue crab resources, 10-15 kilograms caught in one day, in the addressed maritime zones in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani. There was also the conception of Saving cooperatives as well as new jobs being created to meet unprecedented labor demands, particularly shelling crabs.

  Also, local fishery communities were educated about sabotaging behaviors and saving crabs with fertilized eggs Over the period, locals could associate the promising outcomes with approaches and take actions themselves as proved by the local-preserved areas, 300 -500 meters from the shore, as aquatic nurseries. As for the environment, aquatic nurseries have become a self-owned measure practiced by locals when were then announced Fishery Refugia by the Department of Fisheries. All in all, what matters the most is that the fishery community has learned to conduct responsible fishery translated into the Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) score. 

     “Prior to the project, we got a C in 2017. With the project being conducted, the scale rose to A in from 2018 to 2022. This improvement earns and sustains the country's seafood export on a global scale because, nowadays, more and more international buyers pay attention to the FIP score,” said Asst. Prof. Dr. Amonsak. 

      However, in the NRCT Open House 2022, Prof. Dr. Amonsak's talk under the BCG scope featured the project’s outcomes derived from the collaboration with network partners specializing in diverse fields including gastronomic tourism,  food services, and technologies expanding the project’s achievement in the development of two industrial scopes according to the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic model, namely agriculture and food, and tourism and creative economy. 

   “For gastronomic tourism, with assistance from our partner Asst. Prof. Dr. Rungrawee Jitpakdee, Director of the Botanic Park, Walailak University, specializing in gastronomic tourism, Gastronomic Tourism Maps with local identities lied up and matched with blue crab-activities i.e., blue crab releasing. Mr. Pavit Tansakul, Walailak University Lecturer specializing in Culinary Arts Management designed special blue crab dishes portraying local identity,” said Asst. Prof. Dr. Amonsak. 

      Regarding the use of innovations and technologies, the blue crab’s egg separating device has been invented by Asst. Prof. Dr. Prachid Saramolee, Walailak University Lecturer of School of Engineering and Technology, to allow convenient and more effective preservation. In addition, “Lay Khon App” serving as a blue crab meat online marketplace connecting local suppliers with consumers across the country is being developed. Given the overall process, the Blue Crab Bank project has been operating as a part of a broad multidisciplinary network and local communities to restore the local biological resources in conjunction with local industries which makes it comprehensive and sustainable. 

      National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) organizes the Open house as a platform for recognized researchers to share success stories on studies on economic animals in Thailand. The presentation of success stories is aimed to disseminate the results of research and innovations in knowledge management, research and transfer for utilization, and the utilization of 4D Key measures including stability in the social community, Developing a self-reliant community according to the royal initiative, and public policy Including the creation of professional researchers who can create a body of knowledge and produce high-quality work at an international level, as well as support the expansion of high-performing research networks. 

News by Nootchanat Sukkaew 

Division of Corporate Communication