"Activists warn of gaps as EU lifts ban threat on Thai fishing industry", 8 January 2019

Labor rights campaigners warned against complacency as the European Union... withdrew its threat to ban Thai fishing imports into the bloc, saying that the country has made progress in tackling illegal and unregulated fishing.

The EU’s so-called “yellow card” on Thai fishing exports has been in place since April 2015 as a warning that the country was not sufficiently addressing the issues.

...Thailand has amended its fisheries legal framework in line with international law, and improved its monitoring and surveillance systems, including remote monitoring of fishing activities and more robust inspections at port, the EU said...

But the International Labor Organization said in March that fishermen remained at risk of forced labor, and the wages of some continued to be withheld...

But important gaps remain, said Steve Trent, executive director at advocacy group Environmental Justice Foundation... “There is a risk that with the lifting of the yellow card, complacency will set in. We need to see a culture of compliance, and more being done to protect vulnerable workers in the industry,” Trent said.