THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Fishing industry selling new image to Europe to counter IUU threat

Fishing industry selling new image to Europe to counter IUU threat

DEPUTY COMMERCE Minister Apiradi Tantraporn will lead a delegation of Thai seafood exporters to Germany, France and the United Kingdom later this month to showcase the government's progress in solving chronic problems in the fisheries industry.

The delegation will also meet importers in these markets, the minister said. 
The European Union (EU) had earlier issued an official warning or “yellow” card on Thai seafood shipments, citing concern over illegal unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing activities in Thailand and by Thai vessels.
Dr Chumpol Sa-nguansin, director-general of the Fisheries Department, said the agency would officially start using the ‘port-in port-out’ system from yesterday at 28 centres in 22 coastal provinces.
Under the new system, all 30-tonne and larger fishing vessels are required to report their activities at sea. This crucial measure is aimed at solving the IUU problems, he said, adding that the agency was confident the EU would consider lifting the warning within the next six months.
During an earlier one-month pilot programme, Chumpol said a total of 162 Thai vessels entered the port-in-port-out system, reporting a total of 598 activities.
Chumpol said all 30-tonne and larger vessels must submit a report covering the number of workers, ship registration, fishing licences, equipment and their logbook within 24 hours every time they leave a port and return.
To meet international and EU standards on fishing activities, data from the reporting system will be used to trace the vessels’ activities to see if there was any illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which is banned by the international community.
Chumpol said the measure would be enforced in accordance with Thailand’s new fisheries law, which is being amended to avoid trade sanctions from EU and other western markets. 
“Overall, the port-in port-out system is to manage our fishing activities so that … all vessels must have licences, equipment [and] use legal workers with employment contracts. This will also help solve the human trafficking problem in the fisheries industry,” he said.
The Fisheries Department recently opened two new centres in Chachoengsao and Narathiwat, bringing the total number to 28 nationwide. Through these they plan to effectively regulate activities at a total of 297 berths in 22 coastal provinces.
He said every centre has equipment to communicate with all vessels at sea and would work closely with the Royal Thai Navy, Harbour Department, Labour Welfare and Protection Department, as well as the private sector.
During pilot programme in April, vessels in the southern provinces of Chumphon, Songkhla, Ranong and Phuket took part in reporting a satisfactory 350 port departures and 248 port arrivals. However, the department found that government public relations was insufficient as many fishing vessels had not been told of the new requirements.
Chumpol said all 22 provinces with berths for fishing vessels must step up their PR campaign to inform fishermen about the new system and be compliant with new fishing laws to be enforced from next month.
“If we could solve the IUU problem in an effective manner, we expect the EU to lift the warning within the next six months so that our fishery industry will be able grow further in a sustainable way,” he said.
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