Thai Marine Police alert for EU fishing checks

[webfact]

Marine police alert for EU fishing checks
The Nation

Agencies join up to inspect trawlers

BANGKOK: -- IN A BID to improve Thailand's illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing problems ahead of the upcoming inspection by representatives from the European Union (EU), coastal provinces such as Chon Buri and Songkhla yesterday launched checks on migrant workers and fishing vessels.

In Chon Buri's Sattahip district, marine police divided into two teams for the operation - one on foot to inspect the piers in Ban Chong Saem San community and the other on boats to check on 10 fishing vessels in Saem San Bay.

They found all trawlers and migrant workers to have proper documents, said Marine Police Station 3 inspector Pol Lt-Colonel Patiya Khemlai.

Marine Police Division 5 commander Pol Colonel Chatchai Chatiwet said the operation in Chon Buri followed the government's instruction for all agencies to integrate and solve the IUU fishing issues as well as human trafficking.

Chon Buri reported a total of 1,800 registered fishing vessels and the provincial authority had issued 1,264 fishing licences.

In Songkhla's Muang district, marine police and related agencies launched a similar operation by setting up checkpoints at piers and inspecting fishing boats as well as co-ordinating with the Songkhla Fishing Association in checking on fishing boat crewmembers prior to departure.

Marine Police Division 7 commander Pol Colonel Wasan Kesarak said police would check if fishing trawlers had proper licences and if all crewmembers were legal. Wasan also thanked all parties for co-operating with the police inspections.

The EU recently gave Thailand six months, starting from April, to comply with its IUU fishing regulations.

If Thailand failed to adhere to the IUU rules - which required countries sending fishery exports to the EU to verify that such products were from fishing boats that complied with regulations against forced labour and underage workers - it could face a ban on its fishery exports.

Thailand currently is the third largest seafood exporter - after Norway and China - to the lucrative 28-country EU market.

The first group of EU officials is expected to visit Thailand next month to inspect fishing vessels and follow up on the installation of global positioning system (GPS) equipment on board all vessels, as they want to ensure that illegal and unreported fishing is reduced.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Marine-police-alert-for-EU-fishing-checks-30259054.html

-- The Nation 2015-04-30

[chooka]

We do the same thing at work, when the big bosses are visiting the station is clean and tidy everyone's uniforms are in order, things hidden away and after the visit it is back to normal.

[Strangebrew]

Well at least the bribes were in proper order and as far as illegal fishing it will keep being unreported problem solved.

[Ricardo]

Thank heavens these inspections are announced in-advance, perhaps they shouldn't be, someone should tell the EU !

[clockman]

Thailand needs whistle blowers, but that way is too dangerous. Because of corruption in every part of society!

[Oziex1]

This is not just about Thailand.

Our rampant depletion of the worlds resources is the crime of humanity. Who will be left to pay for this .

I like to eat fish, Aussie fish now too expensive for Australians to eat we eat fish raised in farms in Vietnam and other countries.

What have we done!

[godden]

Like all things in Thailand smells fishy.

[h90]

We do the same thing at work, when the big bosses are visiting the station is clean and tidy everyone's uniforms are in order, things hidden away and after the visit it is back to normal.

That is the way.....

[robblok]

We do the same thing at work, when the big bosses are visiting the station is clean and tidy everyone's uniforms are in order, things hidden away and after the visit it is back to normal.

That is the way.....

People who think the boss does not know it. There is a reason they are the boss.. its not all nepotism some are just a lot smarter as the foot-soldiers they hire. I once had a coworker who watched pron (we all know the correct spelling) on his office computer.

Always thought the boss did not know about it.. until the time came for him to get fired....

Do you really think that people who investigate others don't know that the reality is different.

[Chao Lao Beach]

Amazing, 100% perfect

[billd766]

We do the same thing at work, when the big bosses are visiting the station is clean and tidy everyone's uniforms are in order, things hidden away and after the visit it is back to normal.

That is the way.....

People who think the boss does not know it. There is a reason they are the boss.. its not all nepotism some are just a lot smarter as the foot-soldiers they hire. I once had a coworker who watched pron (we all know the correct spelling) on his office computer.

Always thought the boss did not know about it.. until the time came for him to get fired....

Do you really think that people who investigate others don't know that the reality is different.

It used to happen when I was in the military many decades ago. What some people forget is that the senior officer/inspector used to be a junior/officer inspector before his promotion and knows when to turn a blind eye and more importantly when NOT to.

[AlQaholic]

The EU main concerns is not illegal immigrants working as slaves (although it maybe should be) but the massive illegal,unregulated and unreported fishing taking place in Thailand. Many fishing vessels do not report their catches or misreport, There is a fleet of ghost vessels that are licensed but appear magically in other nations waters fishing away happily with another identity and flag (pirate ships in other words). They way the shrimp is trawled from the bottom by Thai vessels also catch other species at a rate of about 6 other species to every single shrimp.

This is what the EU is concerned about, and it will not be solved by the marine police going around inspecting boats in the harbors.