Thai seafood industry grapples with international scrutiny

BANGKOK -- In Samut Sakhon, a thriving fishing port on the southern fringes of Bangkok, owners of boat repair shops and other businesses dependent on the seafood industry complain about a drop in income since mid-2015. They are not expecting a recovery soon. Similar grumblings can be heard throughout nearly 30 other major fishing ports in Thailand, where trawlers laden with catch from Thai and international waters drop anchor. All those involved in Thailand's lucrative seafood export industry are feeling the effect of a threat by the European Union in April 2015 to ban imports of Thai fish products unless the country's $5.5 billion sector ends environmentally damaging fishing practices and abusive labor practices.