Task force, CPF take on IUU fishing

The Seafood Task Force and Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CPF) have pledged their support to develop sustainable fishing equipment and improve the monitoring process, aiming to promote sustainability and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Founded in 2014, the Seafood Task Force is a collaboration between retailers, suppliers, non-governmental organisations and Thai shrimp processors and feed companies. The goal is to drive social and environmental changes through a responsible, transparent and traceable supply chain across the Thai seafood industry.

Sujint Thammasart, chief operating officer for aquaculture business at CPF, said the company has collaborated with the Fisheries Department under the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to set up a working committee to explore new fishing technologies and innovations to tackle IUU fishing.

The committee includes government agencies, associations, academia and the private sector, seeking to develop a sustainable fishing platform for Thailand’s seafood industry.

A delegation of Thai fishermen, vessel owners, government officials, academics and CPF representatives recently visited Brixham, one of the UK’s busiest fishing ports, to gather information on sustainable fishing practices and innovations such as larger mesh sizes to allow juvenile fish to escape, as well as balloon trawl that could be applied in Thailand.