The European Union has warned Thailand that it is still not doing enough to stamp out illegal fishing practices, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said Friday, reigniting the threat of a ban on seafood exports to the EU.
In April, the EU had given the country six months to address issues related to "illegal, unreported and unregulated" fishing, such as ensuring all boats are registered, have authorised equipment and are fitted with a Vessel Monitoring System. If the country failed to do so, it faced a total block on exports to the trade bloc.
Stricter regulations went into effect this month and many of the country's fishermen stopped work either in protest against the new rules or because they didn't want to risk stiff penalties if caught.
While the government thought it had fulfilled its obligations to the EU, it apparently has fallen short.
"The EU sent a letter saying our actions were still not correct both in terms of administration and legislation," Gen Prawit told reporters on Friday.
Gen Prawit said that 3,000 fishing boats nationwide were still unregistered.
Thailand's annual exports to the EU are estimated to be worth between €575 million to €730 million (US$641 million to $813 million). Overall fish exports were worth around $3 billion in 2014, according to the Thai Frozen Food Association.