February 25, 2015 — Thailand's fishing sector has a long line of troubles. The country is the world's third-largest seafood exporter, yet its waters are almost out of fish.
Its fleet is facing strong criticism for using slave labour and it is at risk of getting a "yellow card" from the European Union (EU). The government is scrambling to correct this.
A long-overdue update of a law dating back to 1948 covering its fisheries sector may signal a turning point.
Under the new law, the department of fisheries will have the power to board and inspect fishing vessels in Thai territory – something it did not have before.
Vessels will be tracked via Global Positioning System technology and crews checked for forced labour. Driving this is a flood of recent reports exposing the industry's myriad problems.
Labour trafficking in the sector – in which around 70 per cent of workers are foreigners, mostly from Myanmar – was one reason why the United States Department of State in its annual Trafficking in Persons report last year downgraded Thailand to the lowest Tier 3, a ranking that could draw sanctions.
The EU could issue a "yellow card" – a warning that a country must ensure fishes are legally caught in compliance with EU certification requirements.