Pramong

The Perpetual Issue

Artisanal fisheries in Thailand stand at the intersection of hardship from both their limited ability to produce goods and the regulations imposed on commercial fisheries. Commercial fisheries in Thailand are notorious for child labor and forced labor, and unsustainable fishing with massive bottom trawling nets. Following international boycotts and bans on Thai seafood products to tackle such issues, the Thai government responded by rectifying several new regulations that would affect not only the violating commercial entities, but also all local fisherfolk that make an honest living from harvesting marine resources. New requirements net guidelines meant fisherfolk had to acquire new equipment, much of which they could not afford. The law that prohibits people under the age of 18 on fishing boats resulted in children being separated from their fishing parents for extended periods of time, leading to unintended neglect due to the necessity of making a living, and ultimately causing intergenerational poverty. They are also unable to pass down their practices and expertise to their children. These issues all sit on top of the hardship local fishermen already face in the market as commercial fisheries offer more and more competitive prices due to their scale.

An advantage artisanal fishermen still have, though, is the absence of chemicals in their catch. Due to their shortened fishing excursions as a result of new regulations, fisherfolk need not rely on harmful preservatives like formaldehyde to lengthen the shelf life of their fresh seafood, unlike large ships that fish for weeks at a time. This means seafood purchased from local fishermen are chemical free, extremely fresh, and thus, of exceptional quality. Utilizing this advantage, we are able to market ethical seafood to consumers in the Bangkok metropolis, thus directing them away from child labor-fueled commercial seafood and towards products that will provide a means of sustained support for the children of artisanal fishermen affected by new regulations. We are working with community partners to make this a reality.

Research and initial connections

Inspired by the plight of artisanal fishermen from reading about the issue, I made conversation with a local fisherfolk who has worked towards supporting this cause for his entire life. The conditions and problems that he described perfectly matched the those from the horrific articles and documentaries I had watched. With little money and support from external organizations, he was struggling to stay afloat. Equipped with resources and technological tools, I felt obliged to do my part to support them.

What does Pramong do?

The Pramong consumer website has four main sections.

• The "About Us" page explains the core issues with modern fishing, so consumers know the communities and ecosystems that will benefit from their purchases from marketplaces like Pramong.
• **The "Stories" **page highlights our local fisherfolk partners and their communities through mini-articles and photographic essays. We have three editions: The people, The ocean, and The fish.
• The "Marketplace" is where users can view the catches of the day (the most recent seafood caught) as well as the entire inventory. Users can filter or search for specific items, and find a place to complete the order (usually through LINE, the preferred messaging application in Thailand). Fisherfolk will have their own management interface, which is intuitively accessible on mobile devices. Here, they can update and post new products for sale, as well as check on existing products.
• The "Dataview" page is where users can access records of merchant details, their certifications, performed audits, and formalin testing of mass seafood. Working with local fisheries does not compromise on audits and safety checks. In fact, it bolsters transparency since we can more accurately trace each catch.

The Pramong seller app is where our community partners will be able to list catches for sale

Prototyping

A rapid prototype was created in Figma to visualize the Pramong experience. We went from an outline to wireframing to a fully prototyped website as it exists now. The website will be in Thai for consumers and sellers in the country, but for the purpose of this project, we attempted to make a rough English translation.

What's next for Pramong

Pramong will be launched as a fully fledged active website/app by Q2 2024, which we’re actively in the process of developing using next.js and tailwind for an interactive and immersive user experience. As for community partners, we're already in contact with some fisheries, and will continue to reach out to more.

Built With

• figma
• next.js
• tailwind