Thailand’s Parliament has approved sweeping amendments to the country’s Fisheries Law, drawing criticism from small-scale fishers and environmental groups who warn the changes could weaken marine protections and undermine international commitments on sustainable fishing.
Thailand introduced a new Fisheries Act in 2015 in an attempt to curb illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and labor abuses after being downgraded to Tier 3 in the U.S.’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report and receiving a “yellow card” warning from the European Commission, which is an official warning issued by the E.U. to trading partners falling short of tackling IUU activities.
Following those reforms, the U.S. upgraded Thailand to Tier 2 in 2016, and the E.U. lifted its yellow card in 2019.
While the measures helped restore Thailand’s trade reputation, commercial fishing operators in the Southeast Asian country complained of operational and financial losses resulting from changes to the law and later lobbied for regulatory relief.
Their calls gained political support, and by December 2024, Thailand’s House of Representatives approved an amendment bill and sent it to the Senate. The Senate initially rejected Section 28, which would have reauthorized fishing with lights and fine-mesh nets, but endorsed the remaining 70 sections.
After further review by a joint committee formed by both houses, the committee’s chairperson, Plodprasop Suraswadi, announced that an agreement had been reached on changes to the law. The draft was subsequently approved by the Senate on 16 September and by the House of Representatives on 17 September. If there is no objection from the Constitutional Court, the draft will be submitted for royal endorsement and published, after which it will take legal effect, according to an update from the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).
EJF said that the legislation included very little consultation with small-scale fishers and civil society groups and rolls back several hard-earned sustainability victories the country had achieved over the past handful of years through reauthorizing at-sea transshipment, implementing softer penalties for IUU fishing, allowing purse seiners to use light generators at night, and removing labor safeguards in seafood processing, among other setbacks.
“These conflict with Thailand’s existing international obligations. If adopted unmodified, these amendments could place Thailand at risk of facing restrictive measures under a range of international trade and due diligence frameworks designed to prevent IUU fishing and labor abuses,” the organization said.
One particular amendment that has drawn attention is Article 69.
According to the Bangkok Post, under the current Fisheries Law, the use of seine nets with mesh sizes smaller than 2.5 centimeters is banned for nighttime fishing beyond 12 nautical miles. Article 69 of the revised law permits their use under certain conditions starting 12 nautical miles from shore.
Thai Department of Fisheries Director-General Bancha Sukkaew attempted to justify the amendment, saying the law allows smaller-mesh nets but requires ministerial approval under strict conditions, including designated zones and mandatory research reviews every two years. He said research findings and related policy measures must also be endorsed by the National Fisheries Policy Committee and be subject to public hearings.
Federation of Thai Fisherfolk Associations Chairman Piya Tetyam, however, criticized Article 69 as a “legal loophole” that revives destructive fishing methods banned since 1983. He said past studies by the Thai Department of Fisheries had already shown the severe impacts of such gear on marine ecosystems, particularly fish larvae, the Bangkok Post reported.
“This law only benefits about 175 commercial trawlers, while small-scale fisherfolk who depend on mature fish will suffer the most,” Piya said, adding that his group plans to launch a campaign in Bangkok by the end of the year to raise awareness of the ecological risks and warn of a “catastrophe” if mature fish stocks continue to decline.
Meanwhile, EJF has also raised concerns about other regulations Thailand has instituted that could further weaken its fisheries governance.
One regulation, which became effective 29 August, repealed the requirement for vessel monitoring system (VMS) installation on support and transport vessels, creating major loopholes in monitoring efforts crucial to combating IUU fishing and ensuring supply chain transparency, according to the organization.
EJF called on its partner organizations to use existing mechanisms to raise concerns over the legislative process, engage Thai counterparts in technical dialogue on contentious provisions, and underline that Thailand’s continued market access depends on maintaining robust labor and sustainability standards.
Thailand’s seafood exports were valued at THB 174.9 billion (USD 5.38 billion, EUR 4.64 billion) in 2024, with more than half of that total bound for markets with strict sustainability and labor rights standards, such as the E.U., U.S., Australia, Japan, and Canada. EJF warned that relaxing oversight could threaten market access.
The E.U. and Thailand are in talks on a free trade agreement (FTA), with tuna exports emerging as a key priority for Bangkok following new U.S. tariffs on Thai products.
Europêche, a representative group for Europe’s fishing industry, warned that granting duty-free access to Thai tuna would destabilize the E.U. market, threaten 25,000 European jobs, and undermine sustainability and labor standards upheld by E.U. fleets. The group urged the European Commission to exclude tuna from the FTA or impose strict rules of origin to prevent unfair competition from imports that are subject to lax monitoring.
