The Fisheries Association of Thailand (Fat) says gaps in government data on illegal fishing boats hinder their ability to clean up the industry, in the latest effort to delay stricter rules against a trade which has gone unregulated for decades.
Authorities have given Fat until Wednesday to regulate unlicensed fisherman, who frequently use illegal fishing gear and fail to install equipment that would allow officials to track them. After Wednesday, fishermen without atyabat, or licences, or on boats that do not meet government standards, will face legal action.
But many fishermen say they cannot obtain the licence before Wednesday, nor make the costly changes needed to their vessels. They have struggled for weeks to negotiate with the government for a way out.
The navy, the Marine Department and the Fisheries Department do not have complete data on the numbers of fishing boats, according to Fat chairman Phubeth Chanthanimi. "So we think it is not the right time for them to set a time frame," he told the Bangkok Post yesterday, referring to an ongoing crackdown on illegal fishing.
The most recent information available is from a Fisheries Department survey, which cites 2012 records that owners of 18,089 fishing boats had applied for atyabat, the licence granted for activities including fishing and mining.
The number of illegal fishing boats was not given but officials say it is expected to reach several thousand.
The association is calling for the government to delay enforcement of the change until state agencies have more accurate data on the extent of the problem.
Navy commander Adm Kraisorn Chansuvanich, who chairs a national committee dealing with illegal fishing, has called for talks between officials and fishermens' representatives on Thursday, said Mr Phubeth.
Fishermen who fail to meet the Wednesday deadline have planned a mass gathering for tomorrow to tell the government of the constraints that hinder them from complying with the rules. "But will the prime minister allow them to meet him?" said Mr Phubeth. He said many fishermen were likely to stop heading out to sea for fear of prosecution. Fishermen in Songkhla and Trat have already announced they will stop fishing as they cannot comply with the government's demands.
About 90% of fishing boats in Songkhla have stopped working, according to Songkhla Fishery Association chairman Praporn Ake-uru.
Fishermen from 800 boats in Trat's Klong Yai district will follow suit on Wednesday, he said. Among the problems Klong Yai fishermen face is the boat skippers are mainly Cambodians, which is illegal. "But we cannot really find Thais for the job," said Suraphong Intharaprasoet, adviser to the Trat Fishery Association.
The clampdown was initiated by the Prayut Chan-o-cha government after the European Union (EU) issued a "yellow card", or final warning, on April 21 this year against illegal fishing practices. The EU said Thailand has not taken enough action to clean up activities in its industry, known as IUU, or "illegal, unreported and unregulated'' fisheries. Thailand has six months to solve the problems or face a ban on fishery exports to EU countries.