Operators find new laws too restrictive
(Information Source: Bangkok Post, by Apinya Wipatayotin, on Thu Jun 20, 2019, 05:00 am)
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives on Wednesday pledged to spend one month dealing with complaints from trawler operators affected by strict government regulations, but insisted any solution must be in line with international standards.
"Any change to the regulations doesn't mean we will abandon our principles for marine resources sustainability. We will work together with the various groups and find better practices for sustainable fishing," Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Kritsada Boonrach said.
The government imposed a raft of tough fishery rules to convince the European Union -- a major importer of Thai seafood products -- to withdraw a yellow-card warning over illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The EU finally did so in January after the new rules were introduced.
However, the National Fisheries Association of Thailand, the country's largest trawler operators organisation, claims the fishery sector has suffered as a result of the recently introduced regulations.
The Agriculture Ministry was recently told by Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha to fix the problem after trawler operators threatened to stage protests in Bangkok next Friday.
Mr. Kritsada said the ministry is drafting new regulations, some of which would address operators' concerns. Seven new ministerial regulations are being scrutinised by the Office of the Council of State.
One will permit trawlers to move fish to other vessels, without having to do so at a licensed fish transferal point. Current regulations say this must be done at licensed site only. The minister said the ministry's working group assigned to deal with operators' concerns will meet for the first time tomorrow, and commercial fishery groups will be invited to join.
National Fisheries Association of Thailand president, Mongkol Sukcharoenkhana, said the regulations issued by the Department of Fisheries are too tough and unrealistic.
"We want to see a balance between law enforcement and fishery sustainability. We want to see lighter punishments because many infractions are not intentional and the punishments are too severe," he said.
Fishing operators yesterday highlighted several demands, most of them to help them cut costs. One demand is for the government to conduct another survey on the number of trawlers affected by the strict regulation. Mr. Mongkol claimed there are at least 2,000 trawlers affected where owners do not get compensation.
Meanwhile, Nakhon Si Thammarat Democrat MP, Chaichana Detdecho, said he will propose that the Lower House form a sub-committee to look at enforcing a ban on destructive fishing gear. He said he had received complaints from small-scale fishery groups, accusing larger commercial trawlers of still using such gear.
Mr. Chaichana said these fishermen also want the authorities to cancel clam harvesting concessions because they often result in conflicts between small fishing boat owners and concessionaires.
