A group of local fishermen has launched a campaign to protest against the government's plan to spend several billion baht buying back 1,300 commercial trawlers in a bid to reduce over-fishing.
Banjong Nasae, chairman of the Thai Sea Watch Association, said such a policy is not a sustainable way to preserve the marine ecological system.
"The problem is over-fishing and the use of destructive fishing gear, including trawlers with generators and surrounding nets. That's what the government should go after by enforcing bans and laws like the Indonesian government."
"Getting rid of 1,300 trawlers means nothing in term of sustainable development if the government continues to ignore calls to ban destructive fishing gear," he said.
A group representing traditional fishermen said it would press on with the campaign until the government withdraws its compensation plan.
Last December the cabinet approved the buyback principle to pacify owners of 1,300 trawlers who face huge losses because their boats won't be issued with fishery permits.
Those trawlers are part of 10,500 registered commercial trawlers countrywide. But these 1,300 boats could not get licences after the government imposed more stringent and environmentally friendly laws to resolve the problem.
The buyback costs are equivalent to 40,000 baht per gross ton. The trawlers weigh between 10 and 60 gross tons, equating to 400,000 baht to 2.4 million baht per boat.
The compensation policy stemmed from a perceived threat from commercial trawlers.
Since last year, the National Fisheries Association of Thailand has threatened to stop fishing unless the government comes to the aid of the 1,300 commercial trawlers.
Recently, the association gave a deadline of Oct 8 by which it would cease operations unless the government bought back those trawlers it had forced into being decommissioned.
Mongkul Sukcharoenkana, chairman of the National Fisheries Association of Thailand, said the owners and captains of commercial trawlers along 22 coastal provinces were growing restless because of the government's delays.
He said the trawlers want a clear deadline on when they will be bought.
The association has also called for legal amendments to spur rather than crimp fishing.
It urged the authorities to cancel overly stringent laws such as those that demand commercial trawlers fill in unnecessary paperwork.
He asked the government to open new registrations for illegal migrant workers because commercial trawlers are also now facing labour shortages.
He said last year's registration programme was insufficient to keep powering the local fishing industry, which currently needs over 50,000 alien workers.
The military-led government has imposed stronger regulations on commercial trawlers to assure the European Commission that all fishing activity in the country is legal and observes healthy marine ecological practices.
The government claims it has made the utmost effort over the last three years to escape the EU's threat to ban fisheries imports to Europe.
The ban has been wielded to try and get Thai fishermen to cease IUU fishing activity.