The GSMA recently hosted a roundtable in Bangkok, bringing together experts and stakeholders from Thailand’s fisheries sector, including regional coordination bodies, the public sector, industry, technology providers and NGOs.
Drawing from the session’s insights, this blog explores the fisheries sector’s current use of digital tools and identifies challenges to scaling digital technologies before providing recommendations for overcoming these barriers to ensure long-term sustainability in the sector.
The importance of tackling overfishing in Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand is a critical region for fisheries, providing livelihoods, food security and essential habitats for diverse marine species. However, the region’s fish stocks are under threat from harmful fishing practices and overfishing, especially by commercial trawlers. With 85% of the Gulf bordered by Thailand, the country plays a crucial role in managing the sustainability of its marine resources.
The GSMA would like to thank the following organisations for participating in our roundtable and providing their insights: Algaeba, Etneca, GISTDA, Mast Human, Nauticomm, SEAFDEC, Thailand Department of Fisheries, Thai Union, the Environmental Justice Foundation and the Sustainable Development Foundation.
Current use of digital technologies for fisheries management in Thailand
Since 2015, Thailand’s Department of Fisheries (DoF) has made significant strides in making its fisheries more sustainable. This entails managing and harvesting fish stocks in a way that maintains their productivity over the long term, ensures that fish populations remain healthy, ecosystems are protected, and future generations can continue to benefit from marine resources.
It has done this largely through regulatory reforms and the integration of digital technology. These efforts primarily focus on large-scale, commercial fleets, which are required to comply with several digital monitoring practices. Some examples of digital monitoring in fisheries are described below.
Large fishing vessels must transmit their location, speed and identity through VMS using satellite connectivity. This helps authorities monitor vessel activity and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. While Thailand has a robust VMS industry with multiple providers, one hindrance is the high cost of satellite connectivity.
In addition, Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) is utilising satellite data to track the position of vessels in Thai waters, offering significant potential to enhance monitoring capabilities. However, current data resolution is inadequate, and the information is captured at large time intervals, limiting its effectiveness for real-time monitoring.
To improve data collection and policy decisions on fishing quotas, fishing vessels are required to report their catch data at landing sites. The DoF has introduced an e-logbook system to streamline data capture, making the process more efficient. Additionally, mobile apps have been developed to encourage vessel operators to log catch data in real-time, but uptake remains low,for numerous reasons including resistance to changing from traditional methods of logging catch, little incentive to report catch data in real-time, and the risk to smartphones in marine environments.
Large vessels are required to deploy gear sensors to monitor the type of fishing equipment being used. This initiative is part of broader efforts to ensure compliance with sustainable fishing regulations, aimed at preventing overfishing and minimising harmful practices like bottom trawling, especially near sensitive coastal areas where the marine environment and fish stocks are most vulnerable. Although small-scale and artisanal fishers are not required to comply with the same digital monitoring regulations as larger vessels, the DoF has launched an initiative to encourage their registration and participation in data-sharing. Some app providers, such as Mast Human, have created tools for artisanal fishers to log catch data. The Mast Human app has since evolved to serve as a platform for reporting human rights violations and dangers at sea.
Challenges to scaling digital technology adoption for sustainable fisheries in Thailand
While digital technologies have made a positive impact in certain areas, key challenges persist, limiting widespread adoption and scalability. These include the below key challenges:
1. Affordability
The high cost of adopting digital technologies is a major barrier, especially for small and medium-sized fishers. Satellite connectivity for VMS systems, which transmits data at short intervals, is prohibitively expensive for many fishing vessel operators. In addition, the capital cost of acquiring VMS equipment can deter fishers, particularly those who are already struggling with depleted fish stocks and uncertain future profitability. The lack of financial support or credit for technology adoption further exacerbates this issue for smaller operators.
2. Lack of Incentives
Many fishers perceive little direct benefit from adopting digital tools. While these technologies serve the needs of fisheries managers and regulators, fishers may see them as tools for increased regulation rather than aids to their livelihoods. Stakeholders at the roundtable highlighted the need for incentives that would make digital technologies useful and valuable for fishers. Additionally, concerns about privacy, data misuse and stricter enforcement creates reluctance among fishers to adopt technologies like GPS and catch-reporting apps.
3. Digital skills and literacy
The fishing community, especially those in small-scale or artisanal fisheries, often lack the digital literacy necessary to effectively use technologies like GPS tracking, digital catch reporting, and data analytics tools. It was observed that older fishers may be particularly resistant to adopting new technologies, viewing them as burdensome and unnecessary. While younger fishers are generally more tech-savvy, many young people are disengaged from the fishing industry, limiting the pool of potential adopters within the community.
4. Localisation
Digital devices used at sea are exposed to harsh weather conditions and must be designed to withstand these environments. However, many of the available devices are not built for this purpose, leading to a limited lifespan and frequent malfunctions. Additionally, power supply remains a significant challenge for digital tools on fishing vessels. Some innovative solutions, such as solar-powered VMS systems, have been introduced to address this issue, but further advancements are needed to ensure these technologies are both durable and sustainable in demanding marine environments.
Scaling the use of digital technology for sustainable fisheries
To drive widespread adoption and improve fisheries management in Thailand via digital tools, future strategies need to address these challenges. Solutions could include:
- Enabling access to finance for small scale fishers to adopt digital technologies
- Designing user-friendly tools tailored to small-scale operators
- Providing incentives that benefit fishers directly
- Offering education and training programs that bridge the digital skills gap
- Building trust around data use and privacy
- Fostering collaboration among fishers, regulators and technology providers
- Collaborating with other countries bordering the Gulf of Thailand on data sharing and vessel monitoring
The GSMA Central Insights Unit will be publishing a detailed report on the opportunity that mobile, digital and emerging technologies offer to make fisheries in the Gulf of Thailand more sustainable in February 2025. To find out more or contribute to this research, please contact us via email at [email protected]
The Central Insights Unit is currently funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and supported by the GSMA and its members.
