BANGKOK – The Department of Fisheries has proposed to the Command Center for Combating Illegal Fishing (CCCIF) that background checks be conducted on a boat operator before issuing a fishing license.
Admiral Na Areenich, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy and Commander of the CCCIF, has recently chaired a meeting with other members of the CCCIF, as well as representatives from the Department of Fisheries. They have agreed that background checks must be conducted to make sure the boat operator has a clean record of fishing operations.
Records can be obtained from the Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Center and other relevant agencies. Meanwhile, the Department of Fisheries is expected to determine the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and provide it to boat registration officers at the CCCIF before next Friday.
MSY is the largest catch that can be taken from a species’ population under prevailing environmental and economic conditions. As for illegal fishing equipment and boats, a CCCIF legal team will identify individuals responsible for their usage.
