Marine Fisheries Management Plan of Thailand (2015 - 2019).

This Marine Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) 2015-2019 outlines the nature of the management challenges facing Thailand and details what actions and management measures are required to transform what is now essentially an open-access fishery into a limited-access fishery based on balancing the fishing effort with the productivity of the resources (maximum Sustainable yield MSY). The FMP applies to all marine capture fisheries both artisanal and commercial vessels in Thai waters as well as marine capture fisheries conducted by Thai vessels in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of other States and the high seas. In Thai waters the fishing areas are those in the east (Gulf of Thailand) and those to the west (Andaman Sea). The FMP covers the species of: All pelagic species; All demersal species; All highly migratory tuna and tuna-like species (often managed under a Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO);and Other non-target, associate or dependent species taken while fishing, such as endangered and threatened species.
Key principles of the FMP: Good governance that facilitates the setting of rules and regulations and adequate resources and arrangements for compliance and enforcement; Cooperation and coordination both vertically across different levels of government and society and horizontally across agencies and sectors; Adaptive management that embraces change through learning and adapting; and Precautionary approach that does not delay action because of lack of information and manages cautiously when uncertainty exists (e.g. uncertainty in the MSY estimate).
Marine fisheries are important both socially and economically for Thailand. Fish are very important to the food security and self-sufficiency of Thailand, supporting the livelihoods, incomes and employment for about 172,430 fishermen (82% migrants) and about 515,000 people employed in supporting industries, mostly women (e.g. fish processing industry, ship building industry, canned and frozen fisheries product factories, fish meal factories). For rural Thailand, fish constitutes a generally affordable source of protein, contributing significantly to dietary health and food security, particularly the more than 2,500 villages of artisanal fishing communities along the coasts. Thailand is also a major seafood producer and exporter. In 2014, exports totaled 1.7 million tonnes, valued at USD6,749 million and imports totaled 1.6 million tonnes valued at USD2,740 million (DOF, 2015).