Large amounts of destructive fishing gear have been found dumped at various locations in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Hua Sai district as fishermen rush to avoid promised legal action against fishing vessels using illegal nets and traps.
Fishermen in nine villages in tambon Na Saton in Hua Sai have discarded illegal gear such as push nets, i-ngo (two-sided collapsible traps) and purse seine nets at several spots around villages Moo 3 and Moo 5.
Wichit Makchuay, a senior official at the Pak Phanang fisheries management unit, said the fishermen wanted to avoid the drastic legal action promised by authorities determined to put an end to the use of illegal practices and properly regulate the Thai fisheries industry.
Marine life had been ravaged at unsustainable levels and stocks seriously depleted by the use of such destructive, illegal equipment, he said.
Mr Wichit led a team of fisheries officials to seize the dumped gear after it was reported by local residents. He said the fisheries unit would continue seizing illegal fishing equipment in other coastal districts of the southern province.
The government has rolled out a series of legal amendments and regulations to tackle the problem of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.
The move came after the European Union (EU) in late April had issued a final warning, a so-called "yellow card", giving Thailand six months to drastically overhaul and regulate the industry to combat rampant IUU fishing, or face an import ban on Thai fish products.