At the launch of the checkpoint at Rassada Pier, Sompian Chalothon, the Chief of the Phuket Fish Marketing Organisation (FMO) told The Phuket News, “This morning we have checked about 15 fishing boats. There have been slight delays in the checking because it is the first day, but I believe it will run smoothly soon.
“The processes that take the most time are labour checking and checking the amount of seafood on board the vessel, which take around half an hour each.
“However, the other processes, such as checking the boat’s licenses, can be done very quickly.
“Starting from today we will have a trial period of 10 days to see what we have to improve to make the process more rigorous yet more convenient for the boat operators.
“We have staff from the FMO standing by 24 hours a day at the checkpoint to receive reports of arrivals and departures of fishing boats [and check them].”
He added that around 4,500 crew work in the fishing industry in Phuket, mainly Burmese. Half work on board vessels while the others work at the pier.
There are around 40 fishing boat operators based in Phuket, running 150 fishing boats between them.
Phuket joins nearby southern provinces Chumpon, Ranong and Songkhla, which already have checkpoints in operation.