Thailand prepares national fishery inspection plan to address illegal fishing

BANGKOK, May 25 (TNA) - Thailand's Command Center for Combating Illegal Fishing (CCCIF) has ordered the Department of Fisheries, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and other agencies concerned, to quickly work out a national fishery inspection plan to cope with illegal fishing. The order was a resolution of a CCCIF meeting in Bangkok on May 25, chaired by Thai Navy Chief Admiral Kraisorn Chansuwanich, in his capacity as the CCCIF commander. The other three resolutions at the meeting include the Department of Fisheries and the Marine Department, under the Ministry of Transport, are to report information on fishing boats and boats carrying aquatic animals, namely their number, to CCCIF by May 27, the Department of Fisheries is to take the lead in formulating a plan to regulate fishing, covering regulations on licences for fishing and fishing tools, and the Department of Fisheries is to propose solutions to unlicensed fishing boats and such boats with unlicensed tools to CCCIF, also by May 27. At Monday's meeting, CCCIF discussed results and remarks from the European Union (EU)'s inspection on the Thai fishery sector and made the four decisions. (TNA)