Thai Sustainable Fisheries Roundtable, CP Foods advance Gulf of Thailand FIP

Charoen Pokphand Foods has partnered with the Thai Sustainable Fisheries Roundtable (TSFR) to implement a fishery action plan for trawl fisheries in the Gulf of Thailand.

The fishery is primarily used for raw material for fishmeal, meaning it impacts CP Foods’ supply chain, according to CP Foods. TSFR has created a working group to oversee a fishery improvement project (FIP), and as part of that effort, recently created a fishery action plan to promote conservation and protection of the ecosystem and marine resources in the Gulf of Thailand.

The working group is also aiming to certify the fishery under the MarinTrust standard, a certification system for responsibly sourced and produced fishmeal and fish oil, after becoming one of the first multispecies fisheries involved in the MarinTrust Improver Program in 2020. MarinTrust released its assessment framework for multispecies fisheries assessment in January 2023 and the Gulf of Thailand fishery is using that to measure improvements.

“Since 2017, the FIP under the supervision of TSFR, CP Foods as part of the working group, has been proactively implementing to elevate Gulf of Thailand fisheries to international standards,” CP Foods said. “The objectives comprise environmental preservation, maintaining balance in marine natural resources, and producing aquatic feed raw materials in an environmentally, socially responsible manner and traceable throughout the supply chain in accordance with international standards.”

The meeting was led by Mr. Bancha Sukkaew, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Fisheries, alongside with the President of Thai Feed Mill Association and TSFR leading, Pornsil Patchrintanakul, the representatives from TSFR 8 associations, MarinTrust management and fishery expert, several academics and the experts from the Department of Fisheries.

The implementation of the fishery action plan (FAP) is to gauge progress on measurable metrics, according to CP Foods.

“A key aspect of this endeavor is collecting data on marine fishery resources in the Gulf of Thailand to analyze the changes and evaluating the impacts of trawl fishing on aquatic species in habitat, such as coral reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves. This also includes monitoring endangered, threatened, and protected species,” it said. “The outcomes from the FAP activities will assist MarinTrust to assess the progress of the project, also use the data and information to develop criteria for the multispecies assessment from the areas where many species of aquatic animals located, thus setting a precedent for other countries.”

Members of the Thai Sustainable Fisheries Roundtable include the Thai Frozen Food Association, Thai Feed Mill Association, Thai Fishmeal Producers Association, Thai Shrimp Association, National Fisheries Association of Thailand, Thai Overseas Fisheries Association, Thai Food Processors Association and Thai Tuna Industry Association.

Apart from its work advancing progress on the FIP and eventual certification, the group has done work to fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the gulf.

“The project's principles and methodologies have already been successfully deployed in India and Vietnam, marking substantial advancements in sustainable aquaculture globally,” CP Foods said.

Photo courtesy of CP Foods