Parliament has handed the nation a troubling gift this holiday season by passing a law that threatens Thai seas and puts the country at risk of a fisheries export boycott.
On Wednesday, lawmakers from the government and the opposition bench joined hands to pass the Fisheries Act, allowing fine-meshed nets and light-luring techniques. These practices will indiscriminately deplete marine life, sacrificing the nation's food security for the short-term gains of commercial trawlers.
The new law also relaxes regulations on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing imposed by the junta government a few years ago after the European Union (EU) gave the country a yellow card for irresponsible fishing. As a result, Thailand faces the risk of fisheries export bans from the EU and other trading partners, as it did in 2015.
But this is being seen as a big win for the commercial fishing industry, which argued the strict IUU rules needed to be scrapped because a military dictatorship introduced them. However, any responsible civilian government would have done the same and cracked down on overfishing and human trafficking to avoid trade boycotts and help restore marine ecosystems.
The law change weakens rules on labour protection and child labour in the fishing industry. It also permits the transfer of fish catches at sea, increasing the risk of illegal and unreported fishing being hidden or normalised.
For millions of small-scale fisherfolks who rely on healthy seas for their livelihoods, their greatest concern is the approval of uan lom jab -- the use of gigantic nets spanning kilometres operated at night with fine-meshed nets and light-luring techniques.
Previously, these destructive practices were banned from night operations because light-luring attracts juvenile fish and other marine life indiscriminately.
However, the new law will allow it, resulting in the free depletion of marine resources. Juvenile fish caught by fine-meshed nets are discarded as bycatch or sold as cheap feed, wasting billions of baht that could be generated if they were allowed to mature.
Thailand is one of the region's worst offenders for allowing tiny net sizes. While countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh enforce a minimum of 6cm, Thailand's standard is just 2.5cm, often shrinking to 3mm, harming biodiversity and ecosystems.
Although proponents claim uan lom jab is allowed only beyond 12km from the shore, these nets intercept migration routes of the already scarce pla tu (small mackerel) in the Gulf of Thailand, preventing them from reaching coastal areas. More than 700 fish species in the gulf will also be affected.
While the government claims to be committed to fighting global warming, this law harms ocean health, which is crucial for combating climate change. Allowing destructive fishing methods worsens overfishing and weakens biodiversity.
It's especially disappointing the People's Party has supported this law. Known for championing freedom and military reform, their environmental policies fall short. By backing a law that favours commercial trawlers over the environment and small-scale fishermen, the party undermines its promises to protect ordinary people, especially those in coastal areas.
The government has missed a chance to give the country a meaningful gift as we enter the New Year. To make a difference, it must stop destructive fishing, support sustainable fishing, and protect the communities that depend on it.