Fishing policy and administration

A three-year investigation into slavery on Thailand’s fishing boats has uncovered a well-oiled system of trafficking, abuse and exploitation in the southern port of Kantang, leading to eight arrests this month, a campaign group said on 30 November. The owner of a fishing company, three enforcers ...

A Thai ship has been caught selling oil illegally to a Vietnamese fishing boat in southwestern waters, the Vietnam Coast Guard said in a statement.   V.Lucky with five Thai crewmen was carrying 170,000 liters of diesel and pumping the oil to a Vietnamese fishing boat that ...

Nestle, the world’s largest food company, has acknowledged that it is almost certain that seafood bought from Thailand by itself and other large Western firms is produced by what are effectively modern-day slaves, many of them Cambodian. In a report, released by Nestlé on 23 November, ...

European Union (EU) Representatives have decided not to remove Thailand’s yellow card status, after first assessment of the country’s efforts to tackle problems in the fishing industry. Keep reading ...

Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson said on 5 November his country would like to support and share its experience with Ho Chi Minh City in producing renewable energy and using high technology for fishing and food processing.   Keep reading ...

Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vietnam’s top leaders agreed to manage disputes over the South China Sea amid strained ties made more uncertain by an upcoming reshuffle of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party. Any cracks in relations were covered over as Xi met party heavyweights, some ...

Cambodia’s fishing crime busts rose 150 per cent during the first nine months of 2015, compared with the same period last year, while anti-forestry crime actions dropped 13 per cent. Keep reading ...

The Thai government will roll out an executive decree and other measures next week to deal with illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Speaking after chairing a meeting 29 October on the problem, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said a committee set up to tackle IUU ...

More than 8,000 trawlers in 22 provinces are likely to lose their commercial fishing licences after checks revealed the registration numbers did not match the vessels, and many had not renewed their permits for years. The discrepancies were uncovered when the government began regulating all fishing boats to comply ...

Thai Union Group, the world’s largest tuna canner, has stopped receiving supplies from about 1,200 fishing boats in Thailand over the past one to two years as part of its strictly-enforced code for responsible sourcing and conduct. As part of its global rebranding launched on 18 September, the ...