New plan to cut trawler fleet

The Department of Fisheries will allow bigger vessels to buy the licence of a smaller boat to be granted more fish-catching days, its chief says.

The move also will help reduce the number of fishing trawlers nationwide, says Adisorn Promthep, adding the move will help clear Thailand’s congested waters and lead to more sustainable fish stocks.

Big trawlers, including those that have incorrectly registered as smaller boats, will be permitted to purchase the fishing licence of a smaller trawler to benefit from the expanded quota of 220 fishing days per year, he said.

The boats that sell their licences must be destroyed, he added.

“By adding this precondition we expect to see progressively fewer trawlers at sea,” Mr Adisorn said.

“This will finally help to boost marine resources and strike a balance with the volume fished.”

The department said Thailand currently has 7,807 registered trawlers and at least 800 are expected to be destroyed under the scheme.

Mongkol Sukcharoenkana, chairman of the National Fisheries Association of Thailand, said the association will work as a mediator to help see the plan through as many owners of small trawlers do not want to sell or shift to another business.

He also said the fisheries industry is experiencing monthly losses in excess of 20 billion baht as a result of labour shortages, partly instigated by a recent crackdown on illegal migrant labourers as well as a longer campaign to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.

Mr Mongkol said the industry requires 70,000 workers but now has just 30,000, leaving many boats moored with no manpower to fish at sea.

The labour shortage became severe in June when the executive decree tightening the rules on migrant workers was issued.

Employers now face harsh measures for recruiting people from other countries without the proper visas.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha exercised his sweeping powers under Section 44 of the interim charter to delay enforcement of the controversial new law for 180 days, giving migrant workers more time to register.

Many have since fled home to Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.