When the United States’ 2017 Trafficking in Persons report came out last June, Thailand failed to get upgraded from the Tier 2 Watch List category, which is reserved for countries that fail to meet the minimum standard for combating labor abuses. But human rights abuses are just one of multiple problems plaguing Thailand’s seafood industry. While the country has remained on the EU fisheries’ “yellow card” for its failure to safeguard against illegal fishing practices, the serious concerns about the freshness and chemical treatment of Thai seafood persist across the industry. Meanwhile in Bangkok, seafood restaurants have never been more thriving. Here, experts from across the industry, from NGOs to seafood suppliers to academics, explain why the problems aren't likely to be solved anytime soon.

 

Coastal management PhD graduate Supaporn “Nuch” Anuchiracheeva heads Pla Organic,  Thailand’s first and only fishery with the Organic Agriculture Certification Thailand (ACT). With EU funding to bring the catch from small-scale fisheries in seven provinces—Satun, Krabi, Phangna, Songkla, Patalung, Petchaburi and Pattani—to market in Bangkok, Nuch is creating a network that supports the livelihoods of fishing communities dedicated to sustainable practices. 

Any conscious consumer is concerned about traceability. That’s why the perception of the seafood Thailand exports to the EU is so negative. But with Pla Organic, we’ve built up a model that allows us to connect with fishermen so that we can detect how our seafood is caught, whether it’s environmentally friendly whether it comes from safe areas free from pollution. Our fish are labeled as the first organic seafood in Thailand. I personally thought the situation was hopeless before starting this business, but after working with these fishermen, I can see the potential for growing a sustainable, open network of fisheries in Thailand. 

It’s authority distribution. We let the head of each group of fisherfolks keep records themselves. You have to see the big picture first: 80 percent of our fishermen cruise from small ports in their villages to go fishing every three days. In Western countries, most fish are caught from big fishing boats that float around the ocean for months and register their activity at the beginning and end of each journey. If you adopted the exact same policy in Thailand, government officers would have to tackle thousands of logbooks every three days. So we had to come up with a different pattern to achieve the same goal. 

At first, the yellow card from the EU was like a wake-up call to the government. They have been trying to improve things, but the laws are being adjusted in line with Western models by people who don’t really understand the practices of Thai fishermen, and without even communicating with them. They have limited fishing to within a three-mile zone of the coastline, but how can you dump 80 percent of fishing vessels in a three-mile scope? It doesn’t matter how big the nets they use are—the sea within three miles of the coast will be emptied. The nature of small-scale fishing boats means that they actually use line-catching methods for big fish such as barracuda, so it doesn’t matter if they fish in the deep ocean. 

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New Yorker Bill Marinelli owns The Oyster Bar Bangkok (see page 8), a long-established restaurant off Narathiwat Road that specializes in sustainable seafood. A trained marine biologist, Marinelli has been in the industry of trading shellfish and other seafood for decades. His company, Marinelli Shellfish, has operated since 1982 and is now one of the largest distributors of half shell oysters in the world.

My main concern is water pollution. There are no standard laws protecting water quality, whether it’s for farming or wild-caught seafood. Once, I asked a guy responsible for fisheries in Thailand, who has the same marine biologist degree as me, “Would you drink the water in Surat Thani if I were to take the salt out?” He said no, it’s way too polluted. They know the problems, yet nothing has changed for decades. Oysters are filter feeders. They pick up viruses and bacteria from plankton. Farming is no less scary. The farm I went to observe last week in Samut Songkram shares the water for its shrimp and crab farms with the surrounding factories that make soap, sulphate and fertilizer, as well as a shipyard.

Certainly! Three to four years ago I went to Mahachai Market several times with some chefs, and we only found tiny fish. They’re harvesting baby fish around Thailand. Maybe we have no more babies. We have to stop fishing for a very, very long while and set up strict marine reserves. But that won’t happen when there’s CP, Unilever. These big companies don’t care much about sustainability.

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Marine biologist and underwater photographer Sirachai “Shin” Arunrugstichai works with Thailand’s marine conservation groups, collaborating on shark research and conservation projects throughout Southeast Asia. His underwater photography has won 22 international awards since 2012.

Thailand recently ranked the no. 1 country in the world for exporting shark, because of the demand for shark fin. Sharks are the top predator in the ocean. They control the food chain. They also give an incredibly low birth yield of just 10-20 pups a year. 

It’s been messed up for a long time. The policies to protect seafood are so weak. The decreasing number of edible fish is a serious concern. The methods we use to catch fish are shameful, aiming to get the highest yield, most of which ends up in animal feed.

We rank as one of the worst countries in the world for many of the seafood industry’s most negative issues. We need to accept the problems and start tackling them now, not just turning a blind eye. Our laws are not effectively managed or enforced. 

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As the owner of Crab & Claw, Tanaporn “Can” Markawat is responsible for Bangkok seafood trends like lobster rolls and uni pasta. He’s also part of the team that owns The Local by Oam Thong, Kinkao and Naj Exquisite Thai Cuisine. 

We buy directly from the right sources in reputed fishing villages. This also allows us to sell at the optimum price point. The price you pay for fish in Bangkok is at least 3-4 times higher than if you buy directly from fishermen in harvesting provinces. 

That makes sense because the origin of Thai seafood cannot be traced, since it comes from family-scale fisheries. Even restaurants sometimes don’t know where the fish they serve is sourced from. Many people argue that the oysters here are not clean. I believe Thais can eat them because we have built up a strong immune system. I also eat Thai oysters regularly. With nam jim seafood sauce and some herb condiments, they are tasty. 

It depends on the daily catch. Customers always ask for pla kapong tod nampla (fried baramundi with fish sauce), though we have other rare and tasty fish like pomfret. Surprisingly, Thai people don’t know other kinds of fish. We only have the cooking know-how to eat it fried, and don’t consider the right seasons. 

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Chemical Dependence

Formalin

Bleaching agent

Alum 

70%

4-5 Kg

300 Kg

17.6 Kg

6%

10%

Kumamoto Oysters 

Fine De Claire 

SnowFish