Local fisherfolk in the southern province of Satun have blocked the Pak Bara Pier to stop people from using it in protest after being banned from fishing for a month due to overlapping rules from two government departments. The result of the closure has affected the tourism industry, especially on Lipe Island, which lost revenue of over 10 million baht.
The Department of Fisheries stated that any fishing boats with commercial fishing equipment are considered to be commercial enterprises and not local fisherfolk. They demanded that commercial fishing boats must operate in deep-sea areas and be prohibited from fishing near the coast.
Most local fishers have commercial fishing equipment on their boats but their boats are not large enough to operate in deep-sea zones. As a result, the government department allows them to fish near the coastal areas.
