Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA) Thailand

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) assesses the environmental impacts of trade liberalization on Thailand's fisheries sector. It highlights the depletion of marine fish stocks, the ecological damage caused by intensive aquaculture, and the challenges of implementing environmental certification standards in the face of strong market demand for shrimp exports.

• Thailand is a global leader in fish exports, ranking second only to China, with the sector generating nearly US$4.9 billion in export earnings in 2005.
• Marine capture fisheries are severely over-exploited, with total catches remaining largely stagnant since 1995 due to the depletion of most demersal fish resources near the coast and some pelagic species.
• The expansion of aquaculture, particularly shrimp farming for export to the U.S. and Japan, has led to the destruction of mangrove forests and the degradation of land and aquatic environments through effluent discharges.
• There is a significant gap in the adoption of shrimp production standards: while about two-thirds of farms follow the Good Aquaculture Practice (GAP) guidelines for food safety, only 107 of approximately 30,000 farms were certified under the environmental Code of Conduct (CoC) as of September 2006.
• Trade liberalization and the reduction of tariffs are expected to increase fishing efforts and aquaculture production, potentially exacerbating fish stock declines and environmental damage unless effective management and 'green' certification incentives are implemented.
• The fish processing industry imposes environmental pressures through high energy demand and the discharge of effluents containing nitrates, phosphates, and organic matter, though specific data on the scale of these impacts is scarce.

APA

Baumüller, H. (2007). Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA) Thailand. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/rtea_thai_fisheries.pdf

Chicago

Baumüller, Heike. Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA) Thailand. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2007. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/rtea_thai_fisheries.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Baumüller |first1=Heike |title=Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA) Thailand |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=June 2007 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/rtea_thai_fisheries.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{baumller2007rapid, author = {Baumüller, Heike}, title = {{Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA) Thailand}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2007}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/rtea_thai_fisheries.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }