Agriculture minister reports illegal fishing solutions to FAO chief

ROME, July 5 (TNA) – Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chatchai Sarikulya met the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to present Thailand’s solutions to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Gen Chatchai said he told FAO director-general Jose Graziano da Silva that the Thai government was handling IUU fishing as a national issue, and the country signed the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) in May last year and included its key content in Thailand’s fishing management plan. Besides, Thailand signed the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA) in May this year. The minister also informed the FAO chief that Thailand supported the declaration of the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. On the same occasion, he expressed gratitude towards FAO for supporting Thailand in implementing many projects to tackle IUU fishing. During his participation in the FAO Conference, the minister had chances to meet representatives from Laos and the Philippines. He invited representatives from the Southeast Asian nations to attend the 39th ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry Meeting in Chiang Mai on Sept 28 and 29. Gen Chatchai said that the meeting would lead to joint fishing development among ASEAN members, academic cooperation and trade facilitation. (TNA)