Can Art and Storytelling Save Thailand's Favorite Fish?

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Anchoring Change… With Pla Tu

When we launched "I Miss You … Pla Tu Thai" on World Oceans Day 2024, I knew we were taking on more than just a campaign about a fish. We were taking on a story about cultural memory, environmental urgency, and the invisible threads connecting people to the sea. One year later, this journey has shown me how art and storytelling can bring a nation together around one of its most beloved symbols: the Thai mackerel.

Over the past year, "I Miss You… Pla Tu Thai" moved from Songkhla’s fishing docks to Bangkok’s classrooms, using art and storytelling to bring attention to the disappearance of Thailand’s iconic seafood staple. This initiative was part of the Pulitzer Center’s broader Southeast Asia Outreach programming, where we connect people to journalism through creative activities.

The campaign was inspired by a Pulitzer Center-supported project by Aidan Jones, Thailand’s Favorite Fish Is Vanishing; Our Appetite Is to Blame. It explores the loss of species and habitat linked to overfishing, warming seas, and irresponsible policies. What began as a performative dining event, “The Vanishing Feast,” in June 2024 grew into a series of exhibitions, community engagements, and educational activities that concluded in July 2025.

In its first phase, the campaign invited audiences to experience reporting through taste, conversation, and visual installations. In its second phase, five Thai artists took part in a residency in Songkhla, southern Thailand, meeting fishing communities and translating their stories into artwork. This led to the final exhibition, which brought together over 500 visitors, including artists, activists, students, and media. Influencer coverage on TikTok and Instagram reached nearly 1 million views, with many viewers asking how they could get involved.

The campaign also worked with the Bangkok Patana School, reaching more than 1,000 primary students through a pop-up interactive exhibition and a children’s animation that simplified complex environmental issues. A documentary film, Sea in Front of Home by Pisut Srimhok, provided a deeper look into the lives of fishing communities in Chana and Thepha districts.

Over the year, "I Miss You… Pla Tu Thai" helped inform national discussions about marine conservation, contributed to an increase in petition signatures calling for stronger protections of Thai waters, and created space for dialogue between communities, artists, and decision-makers.

By combining journalism with art, film, and community voices, the campaign kept the Thai mackerel in public view—not only as a species under threat, but as a symbol of Thailand’s cultural identity and shared responsibility for the health of the ocean.

Read more about our journey here.

Best,

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Impact

Just days after The Invisible Poor in Peru’s Social Programs, a Salud con lupa investigation supported by the Pulitzer Center, revealed how thousands of older adults were wrongly excluded from the social program Pensión 65, Peru’s Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS) created a new channel to report errors in the Household Targeting System.

The directive allows any citizen or institution to directly flag altered, incomplete, or false data that can cut off access to social programs. The reform responds to the investigation’s finding that more than 81,000 older adults lost Pensión 65 benefits between 2020 and 2025.

Read more here.

Photo of the Week

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"This photograph was taken in Monte Sinaí, on the outskirts of Guayaquil, during a police drug search operation, as part of a story about the transformation Ecuador is undergoing due to violence and drug trafficking. The tension in the streets was palpable, with an air of uncertainty that had sadly become the norm for the community. Capturing this story was an intense experience, revealing how violence infiltrates every aspect of daily life. The story sparked significant debate in the media and on social networks nationwide, offering a brief yet harsh portrait of the country’s reality. Being part of the story led me to an internal sensory debate about the different narratives surrounding what is happening in the country and the structural crisis we are living through."

— Andrés Yépez

This message first appeared in the August 22, 2025, edition of the Pulitzer Center's weekly newsletter. Subscribe today.

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