The European Commission has insisted it will not extend the deadline for Thailand’s operations to deal with Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
“[There is] no extension indeed. It was only false stories coming from the Thai press,” said a spokesman for the European Commission on the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said last week Thailand was given more time by the EU to stamp out illegal fishing practices after the initial October deadline. Thailand was originally facing a seafood export ban after that date if IUU fishing remained rife.
“The dialogue with Thailand is ongoing. The commission is working with the Thai authorities and hasn’t made any decision yet,” the EU spokesman said.
The cabinet on Tuesday approved a 728.5-million-baht budget to compensate 2,988 fishermen affected by the suspension of trawler operations.
The package covers the minimum 300-baht per day boat docking fee. Each household will also get 1,500 per day for lost work opportunities. The government will also offer soft loans to fishing operators to buy new fishing gear to comply with the new rules.
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