Over 200 commercial fishing trawlers have moved from Trat’s Khlong Yai district and are now docking and unloading their catch at Koh Kong in neighbouring Cambodia to avoid the strict clampdown on illegal…

More than 200 fishing trawlers from Trat province are now docking and unloading their catches in Cambodia’s adjoining Koh Kong province to evade the strict regulations being enforced against unregistered and fishing equipment in Thailand. Manas Chalalai, manager of Chalalai pier in Trat’s Khlong Yai district, said the National Council for Peace and Order’s strict regulation of the fisheries industry has tern coast province. As a result, more than 200 trawlers have moved to a pier in Pak Khlong area of Cambodia’s Koh Kong border province.

They dock there and unload their catch there, said Mr Manas. He had heard a new fishing pier costing about 12 million baht would be built in Koh Kong to cater for the Thai vessels.
There were now only 400-500 fishing vessels, mostly small boats, left in Khlong Yai district, said Mr Manas. This had affected the local economy in the district. There were only a small number of migrant workers on fishing vessels, and trade had plummeted, he said. The government has rolled out a series of legal amendments and regulations to tackle the problem of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.