Call it a breeding place or development center if you like — we know what’s really going on under the water.
A few minutes away from the Ao Nam Mao pier is Nemo. No, really — that’s the landmark to look for when finding the place. Nemo, the orange clownfish made famous by Pixar, is in fact the best clue along the road that there’s plenty more to the story.
There’s almost no English around here, which makes understanding what’s going on — or what kind of fish are around — rather difficult. It opened in 2000, and in 2002 it first succeeded breeding tiger groupers (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus). Today, this site features seven varieties of clownfish native to Thailand.
There are two sections to the area — the outdoor ponds of fish with walkways above for humans, and a rather run-down building holding dozens of aquariums inside. The ponds feature nets to keep the fish species separate (or simply from wandering too far).
This is where the place loses points as a tourist attraction (which it really isn’t, but easily could be) -no signage at all in any language indicating what kind of fish these are. Guesses are welcome in the comments, though!
A quick pro-tip for the photographers that’ll want to come out this way — set your exposure somewhere from -1.0 to -2.0 (in other words, dial it down a stop or two). This is one case where your camera wants to brighten an image unnecessarily.
Plenty of fish in the pond — I guess one way to encourage, erm, breeding is to up the number of potential, erm, encounters…?
How often do you get to donate via a fish’s mouth?
Now onto the covered aquarium side of things, I have to assume a fair bit of the breeding happens here, though again there’s almost no English around. Most aquariums sport more than one species, and there was clearly some sort of system in place for the Thai staff…
Another quick pro-tip: even with a DSLR, getting your shutter speed fast enough is the trickiest part. Set your camera on Shutter Priority (the ‘S’ on Nikon or the ‘Tv’ on Canons), and bump up the ISO as necessary. One can reduce noise in post-production, but one can’t easily fix blur.
WE FOUND HIM! Lots of Nemo’s in these aquariums, actually…
I’ll remain hopeful that more signage is on the way — not pictured here are a number of efforts to upgrade the facilities. What was a rather plain floor was becoming one with colorful tiles, while a paint job to the rails and walkways is great as well. The fish statues look good, of course, although part of me hopes the place doesn’t get too touristy…
Name: Krabi Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre (โครงการจัดการทรัพยากรชายฝั่ง) — AKA the Nemo Farm
Address: 141 Moo 6, Tambon Sai Thai, Amphoe Mueang, Krabi 81000 (GPS: 8.025380, 98.877221)
Directions: From the Ao Nam Mao Pier (with the pier behind you), head right as though you’re heading to the Shell Cemetery. Pass what looks to be a teepee, then look for Nemo (e.g. the orange clownfish) on your right. There will also be some large government signs (all in Thai) out front. Turn right down the side street and look for the entrance and buildings on your left.
Hours: 9am-4:30pm
Admission: free — no tickets required
Phone: 0 7566 2059–62
Website: http://www.fisheries.go.th/cf-krabi (Thai only)
