BANGKOK, Nov 15 — Owners of fishing trawlers operating in Indonesian territorial waters are asked to closely monitor information on Indonesian fishing laws which will be amended and become stricter for foreign fishing vessels, said Fisheries Department director-general Joompol Sanguansin on Friday.
Mr Joompol said Indonesia’s minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries recently invited ambassadors of countries whose trawlers are operating in l Indonesian territorial waters for discussions on the Jakarta government plan to amend its fishery laws.
He said the new laws involves a complete revamp on issuance of fishing licences, a quota on harvest amount and the duration in which fish are allowed to be caught in Indonesia.
Also, the new laws specifies that caught fish must be processed in Indonesia first before they are exported or brought back to Thailand, said Mr Joompol.
The Thai Fisheries Department wants Thai trawler owners to closely monitor the new Indonesian laws so that they can respect that country’s laws, he said.
In a separate development, a fish appreciation festival will be held at Santi Chaiprakarn Park in Bangkok between November 22- 23.
The festival will give an opportunity to visitors to gain more knowledge on the current situation of the sea as well as allowing them to shop for bargains and fresh marine products direct from fishermen.
