SEAFDEC/TD successfully conducted a 4-day fishery and oceanographic survey from 17 to 20 October 2026 using the research vessel M.V. SEAFDEC 2. This cruise had been a key component of the multi-year study (2025–2028) on “The Impact of Hypoxia on Abundance of Demersal Fish and Benthos in the upper Gulf of Thailand.” The activity was supported by the Japanese Trust Fund Program under the sub-project “Capacity Building on Marine Environment Change Monitoring and Assessing Their Impact on Fishery Resources.”
During the operation, researchers sampled a total of six survey stations. At each station, bottom trawling was conducted to collect demersal fishes, alongside the deployment of oceanographic equipment to collect fish larvae, zooplankton, benthic organisms, and sediment, as well as key oceanographic parameters. Notably, a critical depletion of dissolved oxygen, reaching zero, was detected on the western side of the upper Gulf of Thailand. All collected biota and sediment samples were brought back and were further identified and analyzed at the SEAFDEC/TD laboratory to evaluate the biological impacts of this condition.
