The attempt by a senior civil servant to wave off criticism of a major Thai shrimp farming company may have created more problems than it solved.
Highly credible press reports show that a division of the country's giant Charoen Pokphand (CP) conglomerate is using very questionable methods to produce fish meal to feed and raise its shrimp. CP has disputed this, and the government has come to CP's defence, in unseemly haste.
The brevity of the timeline is embarrassing. Last week the Sunday Times of London carried the provocative article: "Our taste for prawns is killing the sea." The Times reported that CP Foods, a major subsidiary of CP, produces food for its shrimp stock by using raw materials caught with fine-mesh nets. The nets scoop up virtually everything swimming in the vicinity of the fishing boat. Then, the so-called "trash fish" are turned into fish meal that is fed to the shrimp.
This is not a new claim. Last month, British TV station Channel 4 carried a more graphic version of this story. In both cases, the media's tone was dramatic. They pointed out that British stores such as Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-op carry CP Foods' shrimp products. They did not call for a boycott of Thai or CP-produced shrimp, but the message to readers and viewers was clear.
Three days after publication of the Times story, the first reaction came from Thailand, but not from CP or its CP Foods subsidiary. Rather, Niwat Sutemecchaikul, deputy permanent secretary for agriculture and cooperatives, hastily took the side of the seafood company.
Mr Niwat's reaction makes him sound like a public relations officer for the seafood company. Mr Niwat did not deny the British reports, but simply said the actions of CP Food's shrimp farms are legal.
He said more than half of the fish meal used to feed prawns on farms in Thailand is made from waste raw materials from fisheries such as fish heads and fish bones, and the remainder from fish caught legally. The trash fish used to produce fish meal for the prawns are all adult and not young fish, but they are undersized, he said. Mr Niwat's non-denial might have helped CP Foods, but the government's defence of CP Foods will not help Thailand or the government.
The issue of fine-mesh netting is an important one for the country and its fisheries. It is particularly important in the South, where entire villages are threatened by huge trawlers sitting within sight of shore and scooping up anything that moves beneath the waves. Scoop netting pulls up sea life indiscriminately. It fails to take into account fish species, size, gender and much more.
Last week, the non-government organisation Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) surprised many. The NGO said consumers should not boycott the Thai-farmed shrimp. It said business, governments and civil groups should find ways to improve the food supply chain instead. Boycotts and strident attacks will only deafen CP and Mr Niwat.
The production of fish meal and shrimp can be made more responsible and sustainable, but this will not happen without serious discussion. The government owes these issues far more scrutiny than Mr Niwat has provided.