Thailand faces labor shortage for its fishery industry

BANGKOK, Aug 18 (TNA) -- Thailand is facing labor shortage for its fishery industry as the country has overhauled the practices in the industry to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Minister of Agriculture Chatchai Sarikalya chaired a meeting with related agencies and members of fishery associations on Thursday in a bid to find a comprehensive plan to tackle the problem. The meeting discussed the fact that Thailand has undergone labor market reform legalizing millions of migrant workers from neighboring countries has made it more difficult to solve the labor shortage. With stricter regulations in the reform to revamp management and governance of the industry, some fishing trawlers have been banned from operating. Some 1,330 fishing boats have been impounded due to their failures to comply with new regulations. The Thai government has attempted to achieve sustainable and responsible practices in the seafood industry by complying with international standards. Many measures and legislations have been enforced to rootout IUU fishing as well as human trafficking and forced labor in the fisheries sector. (TNA)