The Royal Ordinance on Fisheries B.E. 2558 (2015) stipulates that the issuance of fishing license shall be consistent with the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) in order to prevent overfishing. Therefore, Thailand is introducing a new fishing license regime which will take effect from 1 April 2016.

Under the new license regime, every fishing vessel will be required to keep onboard a booklet which contains all key data relating to that vessel, such as the vessel registrar and fishing/carrier license in Thai or foreign waters. Such data are integrated and recorded in the e-license system, which is accessible electronically to the Marine Department and the Department of Fisheries offices in Bangkok and all coastal provinces. The system will enable officials to cross-check data and ensure consistency between the data on vessel registrars and fishing license.

For more details, please see the attached file.