THAILAND’S COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AGAINST ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGURATED FISHERIES

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Thitiwat Aussawarangkul

Abstract

Thailand is one of the top ranks in seafood distributor to the world particularly in EU, USA and Japan. The huge demand of fish globally makes the seafood industry sector in developed and developing country attempt to develop the fishing technology in order to increase the fish capture. Also, the outcome from the fast growth of population causing great demand of seafood product creates a new problem which is illegal fishery. Illegal Fishing occurs in every region and causes critical effect to the global fishery such as over-exploit fishing and becomes IUU fishing.


IUU fishing in the sense of law that means the act that contravenes national or international law and regulation. Thailand Fishery Act B.E.2490 could not control IUU fishing conduct and it is not up-to-update. Ineffective legal measures to control fishing activity are the reason which brings significant problems. EU countries has announced to fight IUU fishing by complying all measures according with IPOA-IUU to prohibit all fishery product to get into the region. Therefore, IUU fishing could affect Thailand’s economy in general because export fishery products of Thailand are in the first ranks of EU.


According to the old Fishery Act, It is obvious that we lack of integrate management operation, then cooperating and cross functioning between competent authority should be considered as first priority to fight IUU fisheries. Therefore, the government amends the Fishery Act to ensure that we are not refrain from action to prevent, deter, and eliminate IUU fishing. However, by the short period of time to amend the new Act, there are still some remaining issues which does not completely solve the problem. Therefore, Thailand need to reconsider and resolve existed loopholes by enacting the new law or amending the new Fisheries Act B.E.2558 to ensure globally that Thailand Fisheries Law is effective in every dimension

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