A meeting yesterday (April 1) at the Phuket's Sapan Pla fishing port was told that the new fishing license requirements, which stipulate that all operators of commercial fishing vessels equal to or larger than 10 gross tonnes, must possess a new E-license from April 2, 2016, or else face stiff penalties.
Presided over by Mr Pisanu Na-anan of the Phuket Fisheries and Mr Yosathon Chaleewan of Phuket Muang District's Fisheries office, the meeting was attended by representatives of the province's main commercial fishing operators.
The new two-year licenses, which will all expire on March 31, 2018, are part of the government's latest efforts to regulate the fishing industry so as to to ensure sustainability of the Kingdom's dwindling marine resources.
Previous paper commercial fishing licenses, which were due to expire by the end of the Thai fiscal year, on September 30, 2016, are no longer valid and must be replaced by the new two-year E-license, explained Mr Pisanu.
“Fishermen who applied for the new license have all been issued a temporary license, which they must possess every time they go out to fish, otherwise they willface harsh penalties under the new regulations,” explained Mr Pasanu.
Mr Yosothon Challewan went on to explain that as part of the new regulations stipulated in the Fisheries Act of 2015, the Fisheries Department are now implementing the 'e-license' system to replace the old paper licensure system (for natural resource commercial prospecting activities, including fishing) known as "Achaya Butt”.
“The new E-licenses will be issued to commercial fishing vessels weighing 10 tonnes gross and up. Each of [these] vessels must have the respective permits for commercial fisheries equipment and must obtain its own fisheries marking by no later than April 30, 2016” reiterated Mr Yosothon.
As part of the new E-license protocol every vessel with a fishing license will be giving a QR Code, to be attached to the vessel’s control room, along with a marking, to be written at the front part of the vessel’s hull.
(See this explanation posted by the Royal Thai Embassy in Warsaw for more specifics.)
Mr Yosothon noted that in Phuket Province, the Fisheries Department have issued new commercial fishing licenses to 303 vessels already, which is in line with the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) allocated to the province's fishing sector.
“According to Section 129 of the Fisheries Act of 2015, any commercial fishing vessels caught operating without the correct license face fines of between B100,000 and B30 million, in addition to seizure of fishing equipment and tools, and immediate halting of the vessel and evoking of [any of its] licenses,” he said.
According to Agriculture Minister Chatchai Sarikulya, a total of 10,666 commercial fishery operators had applied for the new fishing licenses from among a total of 11,237 documented commercial fishing vessels.
Unauthorized fishing activities in Thai waters – in both the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea – may also be subject to criminal charges, Minister Chatchai warned.