Exactly how small is too small?
The preference for small pla thu has become ingrained as part of Thai culinary culture. Thais are instilled to believe that small pla thu — short mackerel, the de facto National Fish of Thailand in terms of popularity — is tastier, with a meat that is more succulent.
Understandably, the belief comes from the popularity of pla thu from Mae Klong of Samut Songkhram, a fishing hub in the inner Gulf of Thailand, which are relatively smaller than those caught in Andaman and deep sea. Deep and strong tides in the Andaman and other deep seas require mackerel to swim. As a result, these fish tend to be larger in size and the meat is tough.
But what exactly is the definition of “small”? How small should the pla thu on our plates be? This trivial question deserves an answer as the craving of smaller sizes — along with the accompanying innovative fish snack gimmick — leads to the unsustainable consumption of juvenile fish, which should be spared to continue breeding and to replenish fish stocks.
Pla thu jiw (sun-dried mackerel) has become a famous souvenir from Prachuap Khiri Khan province. A kilogramme of the snack contains around 1,000 baby mackerel and costs only 100 baht. Baby mackerels are shorter than a length of an average person’s palm, or, even worse, the size of a pinky finger.
The standard size of pla thu for consumption should be 16cm in length, or around 12 fish per kilogramme, which should cost around 100-120 baht.
“Those who love to eat small pla thu are eating fish that should be spared and consumed by future generations. It is such a huge economic loss. But worse is that this trend wreaks havoc to this species,” says Supaporn Anuchiracheeva, fishery expert and conservationist at the Earth Net Foundation.
Stocks of pla thu are dropping as the fish are caught to serve as materials for animal feed and human consumption.
As Thailand takes pride in its delicious pla thu, the reality is that we are a leading export market of mackerel from neighbouring countries, such as Indonesia. In the future, Thais might have to eat pla thu raised in captivity. Last August, the Royal Fishery Department succeeded in breeding pla thu — once only wild-caught fish — in captivity for the first time.