Thailand’s new government is poised to roll back eight years of progress in the fisheries sector, promising to “unlock” the industry by reducing regulation and transparency around vessels’ activities. The move has sparked significant opposition from civil society organizations (CSOs), with 90 NGOs, including Oceana, Greenpeace, and Conservation International, signing a statement urging Prime Minister Mr. Srettha Thavisin to intervene and prevent the erosion of critical regulations.
The U.S. Department of State and the European Commission took actions against Thai vessel operators in 2014 and 2015, leading to a decline in Thailand’s seafood exports ranking from third in the world in 2012 to 13th in 2021. The regulations put in place in response to these actions aimed at defending human rights and the environment are now at risk.
Historical reports from 2009 to 2014 revealed appalling working conditions for fishers, including the absence of contracts for almost all, with 80% reporting never feeling free. Disturbingly, a UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking in 2009 found that nearly 60% of crew members had witnessed executions at sea. The rollback on accountability and transparency poses a real threat to the progress made.
Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), which has extensively investigated illegal fishing and human rights abuses by Thai fishing vessels, emphasized the link between looser regulations and both environmental destruction and workers’ rights abuses. Efforts to regulate the industry have contributed to the recovery of fish populations and improved working conditions, turning Thailand into a regional leader.
The joint statement from CSOs urges Prime Minister Thavisin to strengthen existing illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing directives and transparency mechanisms. It specifically calls attention to proposals from the National Fishing Association of Thailand that include returning to day-rate fisher salaries, permitting child labour, and weakening measures against IUU fishing. Adopting these recommendations could harm Thailand’s international reputation in the global seafood market.
The potential deregulation could impact artisanal Thai fishers, who have already faced challenges from the proliferation of commercial fishers close to the shore. Efforts to decommission commercial vessels and revoke licenses linked to illegal fishing have resulted in a significant reduction in the commercial fleet since 2016.
The fear is that a return to pre-reform conditions or worse could decimate fish populations, jeopardize the safety of fisheries workers, and threaten international seafood trade revenues for Thailand. The consensus among CSOs is that the industry’s survival depends on greater regulation and transparency, not on dismantling the hard-won progress achieved in recent years.
Source: Mongabay
