Thai Fisheries Law Amendments Spark Global & Local Concerns

[webfact]

 

Proposed amendments to Thailand’s 2017 Fisheries Act are generating significant concern among various stakeholders, both domestically and internationally, over their potential impact on human trafficking, environmental sustainability, and the livelihoods of small-scale fishermen.

 

Approved in principle by Parliament and currently under review by an ad-hoc committee, the amendments are scheduled for further parliamentary deliberation next month. Key changes include substantial reductions in fines for illegal fishing, from Bt300,000-35 million to Bt50,000-1 million, and the introduction of electronic crew lists. Critics argue this could create loopholes facilitating labour abuses akin to modern slavery.

 

One controversial change would permit the unloading of fishing catches offshore, potentially requiring crews to remain at sea for extended periods without shore leave. Additionally, reducing coastal fishing zones and relaxing bans on small-mesh nets—a move decried by environmentalists—threaten marine ecosystems by indiscriminately capturing young sea life.

 

Thanaporn Sriyakul, director of the Institute of Politics and Policy Analysis, warns that such revisions may downgrade Thailand in the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report to Tier 3, which could impose severe trade barriers. Thailand was upgraded to Tier 2 in 2022, but maintaining this status requires ongoing improvements in combating human trafficking.

 

The stakes are high, with Thailand’s seafood and fishery exports valued at over 200 billion baht last year, about 60% of which are sold to nations prioritising strict labour and environmental standards. Adisorn Kerdmongkol from the Migrant Working Group highlights that jeopardising these standards could severely impact the country's economy.

 

Defending the amendments, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow claims they are necessary to modernise and support local fishermen while continuing the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. However, leaders from the fishing community and environmental groups contend that the proposed changes lean too heavily in favour of commercial interests, threatening the sustainability of fisheries and marine biodiversity.

 

As the debate intensifies, the future of Thailand’s fishing industry hangs in the balance, with global trade relations and local livelihoods at stake.

 

File photo courtesy: Wikimedia

 

-- 2024-06-18

 

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[ChrisY1]

2024 is really not the time for Thailand to continue legally, the retaining of fisher crews at sea for extended periods. This has always been the case for Thai, and likely other countries, fishing illegally around the oceans.

Absolutely no doubt the Thamanat has been extensively lobbied to manipulate such a dreadful outcome. 

Thailand will pay dearly.

[seajae]

Once again we see that Thailand is promoting illegal fisheries practices, really have to wonder how much it took to get the minister to approve this, we are going back to the trough for thaksins party, anything is possible with the right amount of money. Thailand fisheries are totally shot, they have stripped the oceans using illegal methods and it is all approved by the same party that did exactly the same last time they were in, they cant keep their snouts out of the trough and screw the people of Thailand. As a keen fisherman I brought all my gear to Thailand with me and have attempted fishing in various places where the water and and conditions looked perfect for fish yet never caught a thing because the fishermen have used small mesh nets to ensure they take everything in the ocean, places that should be teaming with fish are barren due to their practices and we see the govt allowing them to go back to using the tiny mesh to continue doing it after it was stopped by the last govt in the hope of rebuilding fish stocks, the last govt made regulations that outlawed many of the illegal methods, they got rid of many boats and made it harder for them to strip the oceans using their suspect methods, this govt is showing  graft is ripe and prime in Thailand especially for those running the country once again.

[Peabody]

Weren't these restrictions originally put in place to allow them access to markets from which they had been banned due to IUU, back around the mid 20-teens?

[Pouatchee]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thamanat Prompow claims they are necessary to modernise and support local fishermen while continuing the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

 

so let me get this right... modernising = threatening methods that will likely deplete the current fisheries until there is nothing left?

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, Peabody said:

Weren't these restrictions originally put in place to allow them access to markets from which they had been banned due to IUU, back around the mid 20-teens?

Thailands fish products sold direct from wholesalers or end markets such as CP selling Thail products should be banned world wide if this goes ahead.

[Khyron]

Someone high up has a vested interest in not allowing ships to dock, that would reduce the instances of slave labor that is rampant in SEA fishing boats. Sad.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Defending the amendments, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow claims they are necessary to modernise and support local fishermen while continuing the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing

BS, it's to allow Thailands old ,ethods of fishing, illegal people trafficking to go back to the good old bad old ways.

Thamanat Prompow should be removed from office.

 

[Burma Bill]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

about 60% of which are sold to nations prioritising strict labour and environmental standards.

So, where is the remaining  non-prioritised 40% sold - China?

[BusyB]

They're at it again aren't they ...

[phil2407]

Would have thought better to double the fines for illegal fishing rather than reduce them! If human trafficking found max fine x2 

maybe just thinking outside the box as not Thai 😬