Why oysters from Tha Som Bay have been added to GI products from Trat

The Intellectual Property Department has registered oysters cultivated in Tha Som Bay in Trat province as the fourth GI product of the eastern coastal province, Deputy Commerce Minister Napinthorn Srisanpang said on Wednesday.

Napinthorn said the department had earlier registered gold pineapples, Chani durian grown in Koh Chang, and Mon Thong durians grown on the Banthad mountains as the GI products of Trat.

Geographical Indication (GI) products are unique items that are closely linked to a specific geographical region, and their quality, reputation, or other characteristics are essentially attributable to their place of origin. These products are protected by law to ensure that only those genuinely originating from that region can be marketed under that name.

Napinthorn said oysters were initially found in the waters along mangrove forests in Tha Som Bay in Tambon Tha Som of Trat’s Khao Saming district.

Later the local villagers cultivated the oysters by placing cement piles into the mud under the sea water for oyster babies to cling on.

Napinthorn said the convergence of fresh and sea water at the Tha Som bay had filled with planktons that the oysters feed on.
As a result, oysters collected from Tha Som Bay have a creamy white meat, which is juicy and fluffy and has a smooth texture, with natural sweetness and fragrance.

These characteristics made the oysters unique to the bay and popular among the consumers in the know, Napinthorn said.
He said residents of the four villages of Ban Tha Som, Ban La Meeb, Ban Salak and Ban Ang Krapong in Tambon Tha Som had oyster farms.