The meeting was held to select expert committee members to join the provincial fishery committee so that it would truly represent stakeholders. This was after the government had informed them that Article 34 was not yet in effect pending the Fisheries Department’s completion of a ministerial regulation to support “local fishermen permit” issuance. They were also told that the implementation would allow the provincial fishery committee to consider a fishing zone extension.

Local fishermen had called for cancellation of Article 34 because it would reportedly limit the rights of small-scale fishermen (who had boats under 10 tonnes gross and usually went fishing in a range of 3-12 nautical miles). Keeping them fishing along the coast would also lead to fights over resources and it was unfair because commercial boats were being allowed to fish beyond three nautical miles to the edge of the country’s 200-nautical-mile territory, the local fishermen said. The new Fisheries Emergency Decree was enforced in November to end illegal fishing and lifting Thailand’s ranking in regard to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.