Strikes by fishermen protesting stricter requirements on boats and equipment are starting to have an impact on Pattaya, with wholesalers reporting higher prices and slimmer supplies for certain types of seafood.
Sellers at the Amorn Nakorn and Lan Po markets said July 22 that they’re seeing higher prices on king mackerel and pomfret, with some other kinds of fish in shorter supply.
The increases are fallout from new regulations that took effect July 1 to bring Thailand into compliance with European Union standards on illegal, unreported and unregistered fishing. The EU earlier this year issued the country a warning that unless it complied with EU rules it could see all Thai seafood exports to Europe banned.
A Lan Po Market, prices were noticeably higher with king mackerel jumping from 80 baht per kilogram to 250 baht.
The rules require that boats be properly registered, have legal fishing licenses, have fishing gear matching the type they had at time of registration, and have required monitoring equipment, such as a Vessel Monitoring System.
The government has estimated that a quarter of Thailand’s fishing fleet has not met the requirements and has been idled by fishermen who are demanding either more time to do so or an exemption from the rules altogether. To date, the government has been unbending in upholding the rules.
Amorn Nakorn wholesaler Kanjana Huasun, 45, said she sells squid, king mackerel, pomfret, snapper, and grouper. King mackerel, snapper, and some kinds of squid have become more expensive, she said.
However, shrimp and crab – which are farmed, not caught – remain the same price.
Kanjana said she operates a cold-storage facility in Sattahip and has tried to warehouse seafood supplies. However she estimates her stock will be exhausted by the end of July.
A Lan Po Market, prices were noticeably higher with king mackerel jumping from 80 baht per kilogram to 250 baht. Pomfret even went higher, leaping from 100 baht per kilogram to 680 baht.
