THOUSANDS of local fishermen have protested against Article 34 of the Fisheries Emergency Decree, saying the rule limits their rights and favours a minority that destroys a mass of fish and dominates offshore marine resources.

Local fishermen demonstrated in many seaside areas such as Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Krabi, Satun, Rayong, Ranong, Chantaburi and Trat at the city hall of their provinces. They want the government to reconsider Article 34, which bars them from fishing beyond three nautical miles from the shore, and to extend the fishing range.

Protests in the seaside provinces ended with official representatives accepting the fishermen’s pleas and no reports of violence.

When the new Fisheries Emergency Decree was enforced in November the government said the law aimed to end illegal fishing and help lift the country’s ranking in regard to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Article 34 of the decree became a controversial issue, as it limits local fishermen’s rights and conflicts with the their livelihood and practices.

“This law cannot be enforced in reality because it contrasts with the real livelihood of local fishermen, who usually fishing in a range of three to 12 nautical miles [offshore] and implementation of this law has caused conflict between local fishermen and operational officials,” Thai Sea Watch Association president Banjong Nasae said. He was also leader of the fishermen’s protest in Songkhla. “This is a restriction of local fishermen’s rights and it [Article 34] favours the big fishing operators controlling the majority of marine resources.”

Banjong said fishermen in Nakhon Si Thammarat had been arrested recently for just retrieving crab traps six nautical miles from the coast. But, luckily talks resolved the problem before any further conflict happened.

Niwat Thanyachart, a representative of fishermen in Chanthaburi, also said the new fisheries law badly affected people in his province as well.

Rallies in eastern, southern ports

“More than 500 Chanthaburi fishermen will not able to earn a living properly if the law is strictly enforced. Thus, we request that the government to widen the allowed local fishing range to 12 nautical miles, as indicated in the United Nations Law of the Sea 1982.”

Niwat also urged the government to ban the use of destructive fishing equipment such as otter trawls within 12 nautical miles because trawlers from outside the area usually illegally fish in the protected marine zone and were destroying the marine ecology.

Crews from 200 trawlers in Pattani also protested against the new fisheries law yesterday. They said the government ban on the use of otter trawling for three days and surrounding nets for eight days affected their business and caused losses of up to Bt200,000 a month.