Fishing crew lay-offs looming in Thailand

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IUU FISHING PROTOCOL
Fishing crew lay-offs looming
The Nation



Looming trawlers will have to stop hiring workers if they are forced to dock

BANGKOK: -- MORE THAN 4,000 people in Ranong province risk losing their jobs by the end of this month if fishing trawlers are still not able to go out to sea in the face of stricter law enforcement.

Since July 1, authorities have only been allowing trawlers with a complete set of required documents such as fishing and steersman licences to continue fishing.

"More than 200 large fishing trawlers are now docked ashore," Tawee Boonying, president of Ranong Fisheries Association, said yesterday, adding that the operators believe they can only hire their workers until the end of this month, while they are trying to sort out this problem.

"They have no income, so if things do not improve, they will have to stop hiring," Tawee said, estimating that the fisheries sector has 3,000 trawlers and employs about 20,000 people.

However, many of these trawlers are anchored ashore because they do not have the complete set of documents in place.

The Port In-Port Out Centre in Songkhla province yesterday disclosed that six trawlers had been cleared through the "port-in" system yesterday.

"All these six trawlers are fully legal," the centre's chief Lt-Commander Wanchana Rattanachaya said.

He said hundreds of fishing trawlers are docked because they lack proper documentation. For now though, the operators do not face arrest as the authorities in Songkhla are trying to help them comply with relevant laws.

"Authorities concerned such as the Marine Department have been organising tests for steersmen and boat-engine mechanics. When the trawlers' crew pass the tests, they will obtain the necessary documents for fishing," he explained.

In addition, a local branch of the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission is offering to train fishermen on radio communication, so they can get a proper licence.

Meanwhile, Trang Industrial Council's president Adisorn Tan-aengchuan said factories in his province could cope with the fact that many fishing trawlers had to be docked, as they had ordered raw materials from overseas.

The authorities had, after all, announced their intention to strictly enforce the "port-in-port-out" system in advance in order to address the problem of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU).

"However, consumers will likely be affected as seafood prices continue rising," Adisorn said.

Separately, national police chief General Somyot Poompanmuang yesterday vowed to closely study reports about some illegal fishing trawlers trying to block legal trawlers out to sea.

"Security agencies are looking into these reports," he said.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the authorities had received a lot of information on these reports. It has been alleged that operators of some illegal fishing trawlers believe that if there is a shortage of seafood, the authorities will automatically have to opt for a more lenient approach.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Fishing-crew-lay-offs-looming-30264060.html


-- The Nation 2015-07-09

[Somtamnication]

Let the oceans replenish, <deleted>.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Not very difficult for the illegal trawlers anchored ashore to have a legal boat to come and pick-up their illegal caught fish offshore and bring it in to the pier (they have bought illegal non-taxed diesel from fuel boats anchored just outside the 12 mile limit for years already so they don't need to visit the ports to refuel) , or they land the fish opposite Ranong in Kawthung in Myanmar and from there they bring it into Thailand as "Burmese caught fish". Very difficult to control the Thai fishing fleet.

[Usual Suspect]

If the illegal boats are now all moored-up..where are all the slaves..?

If the price of fish goes up & up due to less fish available..one thinks this reflects hotel room-rates in Thailand when the occupancy rate is low.

If companies are getting supplies from other countries, how long before the trawlermen get a little concerned..?

If fish prices are high, how long before pork & chicken prices start creeping up..?

If no fish can man live on chips+mushy peas alone..?

[Bluespunk]

As far as I'm concerned people not being allowed to take part in illegal activities is a good thing.

[BuckBee]

Can you lay off slaves ! :-/

[alant]

If the illegal boats are now all moored-up..where are all the slaves..?

If the price of fish goes up & up due to less fish available..one thinks this reflects hotel room-rates in Thailand when the occupancy rate is low.

If companies are getting supplies from other countries, how long before the trawlermen get a little concerned..?

If fish prices are high, how long before pork & chicken prices start creeping up..?

If no fish can man live on chips+mushy peas alone..?

Chips and mushy peas, now you are talking

Edited July 9, 2015 by alant

[alfalfa19]

Gee whiz, does this mean they will have to cut in half the wages of their slaves? Lessee, what's half of zero?

[FireMedic]

Layoffs = They finally get to go home......with no money.

[OOLEEBER]

I might be able to hire a gardener now. Doubt it though. Even the out-of-work ones here seem to prefer a hammock in the shade than look for employment.

[Katipo]

So, 4,000 slaves will be free to go home. Result!

[starkey_rich]

"The authorities are organizing tests for steersmen"

Well if the test is as farcical as the the driving test ,they will all pass then.

[billphillips]

They are not really being laid off because they were never employed in the first place. The boats can't go out because they don't have licences. The boats should never have fished without licences in the first place but now the owners and non tax paying crews are whinging.

[sammygood]

since when do thais listen to anything or anyone except their own self ?

[mikemac]

Can you lay off slaves ! :-/

You beat me to it. The first thing I thought when I read the heading was "How the heck do you lay off a slave" ?

"Sorry, but we don't need you any more, so we are releasing you. Good luck."

[Manbing]

if this encourages those using slaves to stop, jobs will be available

Problem solved

[Johnnie99]

I believe this is what Thai culture knows as 'karma'.

[hugh2121]

Or "What goes around comes around".

[ratcatcher]

"More than 200 large fishing trawlers are now docked ashore," Moored, tied up, but not ashore, they're in the water.

"They have no income, so if things do not improve, they will have to stop hiring," My heart bleeds. Get legal, get paid. Simple really.

"It has been alleged that operators of some illegal fishing trawlers believe that if there is a shortage of seafood, the authorities will automatically have to opt for a more lenient approach." Not on P.C-O's watch they won't.

[FangFerang]

What a farce. The illegal operators (not the same as the owners, mind you) are having a Mexican standoff to demand....the government let them remain criminal and even enslave their own people....

No owners fined. No one busted for kidnapping, slavery, or imprisonment. No one arrested for intimidating legal fishermen.

Great way to bring happiness back to the (right) people again!

[Srikcir]

Any shortage seafood will only impact exports and not domestic consumption IF the government requires domestic supply gets priority over export. If necessary the government can activate domestic price controls available under existing authority of the Goods and Services Price Control Act of 1999.

If seafood distributors are allowed to shift part of the domestic supply to make up shortages in exports, Thailand consumers will see a signficant increase in seafood costs due to shortages. That in turn may also drive many independent seafood vendors out of business.

Unemployment of fishermen will just be the beginning of a national unemployment hemmorage.

[Ulic]

I guess it is easier to bitch and moan about why do they have to enforce the law on us,

than get your licensing and paperwork in order to make yourself legal.

[HooHaa]

burglaries have already started on koh phangan, many idle hands about

[Benmart]

Seems to be a Thai matter for Thais to work out. My lame lamentations mean nothing should I decide to share them.