Canals In Thailand
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 8:43 am
Canals In Thailand
By request from Piggy4, I will briefly describe canals in Thailand, and specifically the one that I get fish from.
The canal system is extensive, broadly the whole country runs on them, all the agriculture. Many main artery canals were built as a drive to boost the countries economy a generation ago, but most of the canal system is ancient. Although there are a good few rivers virtually the whole country is irrigated through canals. The big canals are a up to about twenty metres wide and a few metres deep, and there are all sizes of canal smaller than that.
As much as the rivers might feed the canals, the canals feed the rice fields, and many fish are found in the rice fields, probably loaches too.
The canal I have got fish from is one of the main artery canals running parallel North of Bangkok. At the provincial town, there is a sluice gate, conveniently by a local market. The current can be very powerful. The boys use catch-all nets right at the gate. Most of what they catch would not look good in an aquarium, but is good to eat. But often what is left over is more interesting. I have got archer fish that jump clean over my head. This is where I got the Yellow Finned loaches that I describe in thread http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=4148.
My missus went there today. Nothing! It is not always a good spot.
I have also traveled the rivers, including the Salween and the Mekong, where they go through the mountains in Burma and Loa. However, fishes were not on my mind then. I have uploaded pictures to www.loachtank.org, but I cannot find my pictures on there. Don’t know what I am doing wrong. In the future, I hope to be building on and living on the banks of the Ping. I will definitely be on the lookout for loaches there.
I know there are a couple of Thai people who have formally described loaches, but I do not myself know of anyone in Thailand interested in loaches. If there is anyone in this forum, please let me know.
By request from Piggy4, I will briefly describe canals in Thailand, and specifically the one that I get fish from.
The canal system is extensive, broadly the whole country runs on them, all the agriculture. Many main artery canals were built as a drive to boost the countries economy a generation ago, but most of the canal system is ancient. Although there are a good few rivers virtually the whole country is irrigated through canals. The big canals are a up to about twenty metres wide and a few metres deep, and there are all sizes of canal smaller than that.
As much as the rivers might feed the canals, the canals feed the rice fields, and many fish are found in the rice fields, probably loaches too.
The canal I have got fish from is one of the main artery canals running parallel North of Bangkok. At the provincial town, there is a sluice gate, conveniently by a local market. The current can be very powerful. The boys use catch-all nets right at the gate. Most of what they catch would not look good in an aquarium, but is good to eat. But often what is left over is more interesting. I have got archer fish that jump clean over my head. This is where I got the Yellow Finned loaches that I describe in thread http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=4148.
My missus went there today. Nothing! It is not always a good spot.
I have also traveled the rivers, including the Salween and the Mekong, where they go through the mountains in Burma and Loa. However, fishes were not on my mind then. I have uploaded pictures to www.loachtank.org, but I cannot find my pictures on there. Don’t know what I am doing wrong. In the future, I hope to be building on and living on the banks of the Ping. I will definitely be on the lookout for loaches there.
I know there are a couple of Thai people who have formally described loaches, but I do not myself know of anyone in Thailand interested in loaches. If there is anyone in this forum, please let me know.
