SONGKHLA, 2 September 2015 – Fishing vessels equipped with trawling equipment remain docked at port on Tuesday, the first day of enforcement of the Command Center for Combating Illegal Fishing’s mandate on trawlers.
In Songkhla, fishing trawlers were seen complying with the CCCIF’s stipulation for trawlers to cease operation for nine days per month. The nine days comprise the 1st to the 3rd, the 11th to the 13th, and the 21st to 23rd of each month. The purpose of the regulation is to match fishing activity with available catch and prevent overfishing.
Meanwhile, about two dozen fishermen visited the Songkhla provincial governor on Tuesday to submit a letter containing their response to the CCCIF mandate, addressed to the prime minister. The fishermen said they were willing to comply with the new regulation, but the operator of each trawling vessel should be able to choose the dates when activity would be suspended.
