BANGKOK, 11 February 2015 – The Marine Department has speeded up the process of fishing boat registration and installation of GPS tracking device in line with the EU IUU regulation.
Deputy Director-General Nath Chabchai said the department has stepped up the issuance of preventive and repressive measures against human trafficking in the form of fishery labor and illegal fishery in recent years.
He expected the Fishery Act would be promulgated in June 2015 and it would enable both the Fishery Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and the Marine Department under the Ministry of Transport to better cooperate in governing Thailand’s fishery industry.
Currently, a subcommittee is working on a national guideline for local fishery industry in line with the EU Regulation to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing or IUU which entered into force on 1 January 2010. However, Mr Nath said the new regulation has been adapted to suit the Thai fishing industry and increase the efficiency in monitoring and preventing any illegal practices including a use of forced labor on Thai fishery vessels.
