Environmental activists and local fishermen have expressed vehement disagreement with the government's attempts to register illegal trawlers.
The trawlers' activities threaten Thailand's marine resources, they say.
Banchong Nasae, chairman of the Thai Sea Watch Association, said the government's attempt to register illegal trawlers is a short-term fix to avoid a European Union red-card, which would result in a ban on Thailand's seafood exports.
The EU has delivered guidelines on avoiding Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, which it says has depleted the country's fish stocks, led to food security issues and damaged marine ecology.
The EU has given Thailand six months to tackle IUU fishing.
In the government's efforts to solve the problem, a new fishing law was enforced from late last month aimed at suppressing human trafficking and human rights violations in the fisheries industry.
In addition, the National Council for Peace and Order has ordered all trawlers to register, to ensure their operations can be traced.
"What we can expect in the near future is massive damage to marine ecology after the numbers of trawlers deplete fish stocks beyond remedy," Mr Banchong said.
Next, local fishing industries will collapse, leading to the unemployment of fishermen, Mr Banchong said.
"The government should ban the operations of any trawlers that fish irresponsibly instead of legalising them," he said.
Some of the fishing practices which threaten the future of fish stocks include the use of illegal nets.
A study by the Fisheries Department suggests Thailand should have only 5,900 trawlers to safeguard marine stocks, but the latest figures showed there are more than 16,000 registered trawlers, Mr Banchong said.
Wichoksak Ronarongpairee, a representative of the Federation of Thai Fisher Folk Association, said the new fishing law could not save marine resources because it favours large-scale fishing operators, rather than local fisheries.
The law imposes light penalties on trawlers which violate fishing regulations.
Now they only face a fine rather than the seizure of their vessels as they did in the past.
"Trawler operators are not deterred by fines," he said.
"The law is a quick fix to show the EU that the government has responded to its warning. But there are many loopholes in the law that could do more damage to Thai seas."
Supaporn Anuchiracheeva, a representative of Earth Net Foundation, said she was disappointed with the government's actions.
The government does not care about securing the livelihoods of local fishermen, who are essential to healthy marine resources, she said.
Anchalee Pipattanawattanakul, from Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said the government should focus on protecting and preserving fishing resources, which is the only way to avoid a ban by the EU.
