On 20 August 2019, the Department of European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, organised a meeting with relevant agencies and representatives from the Thai fisheries sector to discuss the development of short-term fisheries curricula for shipmasters and newly recruited fishing vessel workers. The meeting was part of the “Cooperation to develop fisheries school for responsible and sustainable fishing” project, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs carried out in collaboration with Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The objective of the project is to develop a short-term training course for fishermen, which includes subjects on the use of fisheries equipment and technology, national and international laws related to fisheries and labour standards, as well as safety and hygienic conditions. The project is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ continued commitment from the study visit of a Thai delegation to the Fishereischule Rendsburg, Germany.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited Dr. Karsten Zumholz, Director of Fischereischule, Rendsburg, Germany, an expert in developing curricula for fisheries colleges, to pay a visit to Thailand during 19 – 23 August 2019  to give recommendations on the development of Thailand’s fisheries curricula. The Ministry also invited Assistant Professor Methee Kaewnern from the Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University, to present the initial concept on the development of short-term curricula for shipmasters and newly-recruited fishing vessel workers, aiming for responsible and sustainable fisheries projects. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Department of Fisheries, Marine Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University, Samut Sakhon Fisheries College, Tinsulanonda Fisheries College, National Fisheries Association of Thailand, Samut Songkhram Fisheries Association, National Farmers Council, and fishermen representatives from various provinces as well as representatives from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Delegation of the European Union to Thailand.

At the meeting, participants built networks and exchanged views with representatives from various stakeholders, particularly on fostering closer and more tangible cooperation with Thai agencies in the near future. The inputs from the meeting will also be incorporated into the development of the aforementioned short-term curricula for new fishermen and shipmasters.

During Dr. Zumholz’s visit to Thailand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arranged a meeting with the Director-General of the Fisheries Department and study visits to the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, the Port-in Port-out (PIPO) Control Center in Samut Sakhorn Province, Samut Sakhon Fisheries College, and the Baan Nai Tung Fishermen Village in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province to learn about the traditional way of life of Thai fishermen and the conservation of marine resources through application of local wisdom. The study visit was also attended by 11 representatives from the European and ASEAN Embassies in Thailand.

The development of a short-term training course for Thai fishermen will help to create sustainable fisheries in Thailand and improve the quality of life for Thai fishermen, as well as enhance international partnerships on development with a view to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is expected that the complete fisheries curricula will be distributed to fisheries associations in the coastal provinces, 30 Port-in-Port-Out centres, educational institutions providing fisheries-related courses and 60 centres for fisheries-learning across the country as well as an online-learning course on the website of the Ministry of Labour to allow all fishermen self-access to relevant knowledge.