To be organized from the 11th to the 19th February 2012 at the lookout point on Cha-Am beach, the crab pulling festival is one of 3 the Unseen Thailand campaigns that promotes tourism in the country and encourages visitors to admire and foster local culture.
This event was originated from the municipal policy to promote blue crab fishing in which different breeds of the sea creatures are given to local fishers by the Phetchaburi Fishery Office and the Phetchaburi Fisheries Test and research Center and were regularly released in the artificial reef. Moreover, 2 blue crab banks were established in Cha-Am to propagate the species so that the animal does not face extinction and local fishers earn more income.
Cha-Am has 3 fishing communities that mainly do crab fishing: Baan Khlong Thien, Baan Boh Khaem and Bang Sai Yoi. The Baan Khlong Thien fishers, in particular, use the area by a canal of Saphan Hin to sell the fresh blue crab they caught.
To keep the crab fresh, they put it in a big handmade mesh bag. The bag, hung on to the iron bars of a bridge, is soaked in canal water. Once customers come to buy the crabs, the sellers will pull up the water soaked bag. That is how the name, Pu Chak (literally, crab pulling), was born.
Since this event, when local fishers catch more crab than any other time of the year, visitors will see how local fishers actually work. In addition, there will be concerts of famous Thai artists and a lively walking street for tourists every night. So, the 2nd Crab Pulling Festival @ Cha-Am will surely be as enterta.
