Fishing vessel energy audit pilot project: a pilot project to audit commercial shrimp trawlers in Thailand
This document describes the first known attempt to conduct a formal energy audit in a trawl fishery in Thailand, and is the result of collaboration between the FAO, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI).
The overall goal of this project was to contribute to greater economic performance of the fishing fleet, improve resilience and livelihoods of fishermen and their families, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For the first time in a Thai trawl fishery, an energy audit was applied to the single-boat trawl fleet. The audit consisted of two levels.
The Level 1 audit consisted of a detailed questionnaire of fishermen in the single-boat trawl fleet and the Level 2 audit consisted of at-sea measurement of fuel consumption of trawlers under a variety of commercial operating conditions. A total of 94 fishermen were audited as part of the questionnaire. Considerable variation was found in the fishing fleet, including vessel age, service speed, propeller size, and engine maintenance schedules.
The consumption of fuel was the dominant operational expense for each size category of trawler, being an order of magnitude greater than the other categories, followed by crew wages and then food. Responses by fishermen suggested highly diversified and personalized fishing activity, although some responses appeared to suggest inaccurate recall of their major fishing costs. Six trawlers were selected for at-sea measurement of fuel consumption over a 10-day fishing trip.