Thailand will maintain the deadline for operators of fishing trawlers to comply with illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) regulations, which would take effect tomorrow despite the operators’ threat of to go on a lengthy strike.
A high-ranking source in the government-run Port in and Port Out controlling centre said that any relaxation would mean that Thailand would fail an IUU appraisal in August.
The centre, having the third Naval area command chief of staff as chief, is set up to ensure that the trawlers apply the IUU requirements; mandatory registration of trawlers and of migrant crew, acquisition of permits, and installation of Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) on board the vessels.
A large number of trawlers began docking off Songkhla, Trang, and Nakhon Si Thammarat provinces, on the Gulf of Thailand side, and Ranong on the Andaman side starting on Sunday. They fear the enforcement of fishery-related regulations being imposed on them following their failure to comply with the regulations.
The head of the Fishery Association of Thailand, Kamolsak Lerphaiboon, said halting the trawlers’ operations was not a protest, but an action to protect the operators and owners from being arrested and receiving heavy fines.
He said the failure to obtain a fishing permit would subject violators to a Bt1 million fine.
All industries related to fisheries, including fish pier businesses, petrol vendors, and the owners of seafood refrigerators, would also cease their operation if all the trawlers stopped operating, he added.
Operators of trawlers off the Trat coast announced a joint stance to stop fishing, while a number of owners announced the sale of their vessels and many others vowed to fish in Cambodian waters.
The Marine Department said the exam for trawler owners and operators to obtain permits would possibly begin tomorrow.
Department director-general Chula Sukmanop said the slow progress in organising the exam was the result of many agencies working together – not the department deciding on the matter on its own.
He likened the permits to a motorist’s drivers licence, with some 40,000 crew working on trawlers in all 22 coastal provinces.
Inspection of piers
In Trang, fishery officers yesterday inspected piers to regulate fishing boats following the National Council of Peace and Order’s command that all fishing boats must adhere to the Thai fishery law and the IUU regulations by tomorrow.
Bunkuen Porndechanan, a fishery officer for Kantang district, led port in port out officers to check if the vessels were equipped with a vessel monitoring system, which are used to track vessels during emergencies or show if a trawler intruded in a neighbouring country’s territorial waters.
The inspection is part of efforts aimed at solving the IUU issues and preventing illegal labour including child labour and regulating fishing trawlers in general.
Officers also checked some 300 vessels registered in Kantang for proper licences and those without one cannot operate from today, Bunkuen said.
The operators of small trawlers operating off the Ranong coast said they would continue operating, as they had not been affected by the regulations imposed on larger trawlers.
Poj Aramwattananont, president of the Thai Frozen Foods Association, said the manufacturing sector would certainly be hit as a result of the sterner measures
However, Poj said that the association could not estimate losses of the industry as a whole yet, as it needed to discuss the matter with all involved enterprises throughout the supply chain.
Paiboon Ponsuwanna, the former president and honorary adviser of the Thai Frozen Foods Association, said the problem could hit both the domestic manufacturing and the export sector, as it was expected to result in a low supply of fish products – the impact of which was dependent on how long the trawler owners suspended their operations.
He urged trawler owners to adapt themselves to the government’s regulations so that they would not have to suffer in the long run.
He added that the government may consider postponing for some period so that fishing boats could adapt themselves to the law. However, the process should not be too long otherwise Thailand could face the “red” (poorest) status in its upcoming illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing review, scheduled to be released by the EU in October this year.
Sasinan Allmand, a spokesperson for Thai Union Frozen Products, said Thailand’s largest seafood exporter has been prepared for the situation from the time the EU issued the “yellow card” to Thailand.
“We can import raw materials if there is an impact. But as of today, we have two months’ stocks of fish raw materials,” she said.
The company supports the government to succeed in its policy to combat IUU finishing, as it will be good for everyone in the long term, she said.
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