Black PE100 pipes of different sizes were gradually carried to the beach. In the heat of the afternoon sun, volunteers, fishermen, and our staff fastened these pipes together with screws, slowly transforming them into triangle-shaped creations. What they were creating were SCG Fish Homes – an innovation that provides a sanctuary for marine life. In collaboration with governmental agencies and communities, SCG has hosted these activities for seven consecutive years in order to restore marine resources sustainably as well as to continue His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s approach to sustainable water management.

Determined to restore coastal natural resources, SCG worked with Rayong’s Office of Marine and Coastal Resources Administration 1 (MCRA) and local fishery groups in the province to solve the problem. To do so, it experimented with its PE100 pipes, an eco-friendly innovation for drinking water, assembling them into fish homes. Several prototypes later, the prism-shaped SCG Fish Home was born.

The first SCG Fish Home was installed in 2012 at Pak Khlong Klaeng in Rayong, and later more were installed in other coastal areas in Rayong, Chonburi, and Chanthaburi. Currently, more than 1,400 SCG Fish Homes have been placed in a total of 34 local fishery communities.

SCG Fish Homes Restore Marine Life and Livelihood.

The 7^th SCG Fish Home Building was hosted in the public park of Laem Charoen Beach under the title “From the Mountains to the Sea” in collaboration with MCRA and local fishery groups. The event proved a roaring success, drawing hundreds of volunteers who came together and built more than 50 additional fish homes, which would not only help refill the ocean on the eastern coast of Thailand with marine life but also strengthen communities and enhance their quality of life.

Maitree Rodphon, Chairman of the Community Enterprise of Local Fishery of Muang District and Ban Chang Samakkhi District, Rayong, said,

“In the past, we would have to go about 3-5 nautical miles or 6-10 kilometers offshore to fish. This meant tall waves and strong winds, which damaged our fishing equipment. However, we can now find fish and crabs just in a radius of 1-2 kilometers from the shore thanks to the fish homes that we installed and have become home to marine life, which are precious natural resources for all.”

Thanks to the ingenious design and the material, which barnacles and shells can easily attach themselves to, these PE100 pipes are teeming with life and have become home to marine creatures of all stripes. The balanced increase of marine life has not only restored abundance to Thai seas but also enhanced the livelihood security of local fishing communities.

“We used to earn only hundreds of baht per day, but now with SCG Fish Homes, our income has shot up to thousands of baht, our local fishery group truly believes that the SCG Fish Home Project is on the right track. It has strengthened local fisheries and successfully enhanced the sustainability of food sources, not just for fishermen but for Thailand in the future,”

 

Maitree Rodphon said, reiterating the success of the project.

In his remark about the collaboration between the public and private sectors, Akharasing Signhareuk, Director of the Marine Resources Conservation Division, the Office of Marine and Coastal Resources Administration 2 (Chonburi), said,

“Cooperation from the private sector has always been helpful to governmental agencies. This is particularly true with the SCG Fish Home Project. This collaboration combines the academic knowledge of appropriate locations from the governmental sector and safe materials contributed by the private sector, resulting in a project that has benefited fishery communities in Rayong, Chanthaburi, and Chonburi and may later be expanded further to Southern Thailand. This will be greatly beneficial to both communities and the countries in the future.”

SCG Fish Homes Foster Eco-Consciousness for Marine Resources.

Thanks to social media, anyone can now learn about marine resources and take part in conservation efforts without any boundaries.

Patcharint Jamjumrat, a hearing-impaired student from Sot Suksa Chonburi School, shared with us her experience as a volunteer.

“I am glad and proud to be able to help conserve natural resources in our sea. As a volunteer in the SCG Fish Home Project, I see collaboration and unity. I am very happy. This is a new experience for me and has helped me understand that fish homes can help protect small marine creatures from bigger fish or people.”

With the three-way synergy between the government, the private sector, and volunteers, the SCG Fish Home Project has not only restored natural resources to Thai seas but also revitalized local fishery communities by fostering participation and a sense of ownership. In addition, this project also demonstrates our effort to adopt His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s “from the mountains to the sea” water management approach, which begins with our upstream check dam construction in Khao Yai Da and culminates in our downstream SCG Fish Home Project.

Fish Homes from Recycled Plastic Waste

SCG has created prototypes of fish homes from pipes made from plastic waste found on the beach and communities such as plastic bags and bottle caps. Studies have revealed that these fish homes from recycled materials are strong and eco-friendly. In addition to revitalizing coastal and marine resources, each of these new fish homes can help use up over 20,000 discarded plastic caps.