(EDITORS NOTE: The European Commission has denied that any such extension was ever put in place. Click here to read the latest.)
A Thai newspaper is reporting the European Union is giving Thailand more time to take action against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
According to the Bangkok Post, a spokesman for the Thai government said the EU is extending the October deadline it initially set for Thailand to demonstrate efforts to stop IUU fishing in its waters. A spokesman for the European Commission did not immediately respond to a request from SeafoodSource for a confirmation of the extension.
The EU issued its first “yellow card” warning in April, publicly declaring Thailand had six months to improve its efforts to combat IUU fishing or the EU would seek seafood-related trade sanctions against the country.
The Thai government spokesman said EU officials relayed the extension to a Thai delegation in Brussels this week. The spokesman did not indicate if a new deadline had been set.
