The fishing industry is under fire, and for the right reasons. Earlier this month, the industry was hit with a damning report by British newspaper The Guardian which revealed the use of forced and slave labour on commercial trawlers that sell trash fish to make feed for prawn farms.
The paper urged British consumers and giant retail chains to boycott prawns from Thailand. Carrefour quickly responded to the call while other supermarkets promised their buyers they would ensure their supply chains are slave free.
While both the agro and fishing industry were busy denying the report, the United States last week put Thailand among the world’s worst offenders in human trafficking in its annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report. Again, the use of trafficking victims in the fishing industry is in the spotlight.
The Guardian is not the only international news outlet that has reported on the appalling abuse of slave-like workers on commercial trawlers and the modern-day slave trade in Thailand. The problem is also extensively covered by the local media. Yet, the problems remain prevalent.
Many hope that the shocking TIP verdict will prompt the fishing and agro industry and state authorities to shape up. For that to happen, the fishing industry must stop being in denial. The government must tackle corruption by state officials at all levels; it is the main reason human trafficking rackets freely defy the law.
Equally important is the realisation that labour abuse of migrant workers is not the only problem in the fishing industry. Trawlers are also causing severe harm to the ocean and people who depend on it.
For starters, the trawlers’ use of environmentally destructive fishing methods destroys Thailand’s very own marine ecosystem and food source. In the 1960s before the advent of trawlers, fishermen used to catch nearly 300 kilogrammes of fish an hour, according to the Fisheries Department. In 2006, it dropped to just 14 kilogrammes an hour.
Only one-third of fish caught are commercially valuable species. The rest is sold cheaply as trash fish to make fishmeal for prawn, poultry, and cattle farms. One-third of this trash fish, however, can fetch good prices if allowed to grow.
In addition, trawlers’ giant rakes destroy the sea surface and habitats of marine lives. All these fishing practices are against the law. So is the use of victims of human trafficking. Yet the authorities involved keep turning a blind eye.
By allowing this illegal fishing to continue, an important source of food security for the whole country is being destroyed to enrich fishing and related industries while millions of fishing folk suffer from poverty and hardship when the seas are empty.
When Department of Special Investigation (DSI) investigators meet trawler operators next week, they must make clear that any trawlers which violate the laws will face punishment. Nearly 3,000 out of some 6,900 trawlers that are prowling the sea are illegal. The DSI must not aim solely at protecting export money from the seafood industry. As long as the trawlers continue with illegal fishing, Thai seafood is set to face constant boycott threats.
The duty of state authorities is to protect the national interest by strictly enforcing the law to protect Thailand’s marine ecosystem and the locals’ food security. Most importantly, corrupt officials must be punished or there is no chance of eliminating human trafficking or protecting our own seas.