Bangkok – The Department of Fisheries together with the European Union held a meeting aimed at tackling IUU fishing, after Thailand became the first country in the region to have the ’yellow card’ lifted. The meeting was attended by representatives from relevant agencies in the EU and the ASEAN member countries.
As Thailand assumes the chair of ASEAN for this year, the country has plans to promote sustainable fisheries as the region’s fish products account for 22 percent of the world trade in fish. The region also has over 800,000 fishing vessels.
Thailand would like its neighboring countries to join hands to reform the fisheries sector by developing the ASEAN Fisheries policy in a concrete manner. Initially, the ASEAN member states have favored the idea, while the plan of setting up the ASEAN IUU Task Force will be considered further.
The Director-General of the Department of Fisheries, Dr. Adisorn Promthep, said the success in tackling IUU fishing has increased the quantity of marine species and Thai people have aligned the country’s fisheries with international laws and standards. However, there are some limitations at the regional level and it is necessary for all the countries in this region to take responsibility to protect the marine resources and follow international standards.
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