Department of Fisheries of Thailand (DOF)
Department of Fisheries of Thailand (DOF) is the structural Thai fisheries regulatory and development authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC). Administers aquaculture licensing and development, marine-capture fisheries vessel registration, port-in port-out (PIPO) IUU-fishing control system, and fisheries research. Oversees Thailand's response to the EU IUU yellow-card (lifted 2019) compliance framework including vessel monitoring system (VMS) and observer programmes. Coordinates with Customs and the Marine Department on seafood export certification. Critical regulatory counterparty for shrimp farms, tilapia culture, marine-cage operations, fish-meal producers, and seafood exporters seeking EU, USA, Japan, and China market access.
Snapshot
Headline numbers a buyer checks first.
Established
1926
Ongoing
Under Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC)
Thai fisheries sector farm-gate value
THB 190B+
2023
Combined marine capture and aquaculture
Licensed fishing vessels
~10,000
2024
Under PIPO IUU-control framework post-EU yellow-card response
EU IUU yellow card
Lifted 2019
2019
Following compliance reforms to vessel monitoring and PIPO system
Profile overview
Department of Fisheries of Thailand (DOF) is the structural Thai fisheries regulatory and development authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC). Administers aquaculture licensing and development, marine-capture fisheries vessel registration, port-in port-out (PIPO) IUU-fishing control system, and fisheries research. Oversees Thailand's response to the EU IUU yellow-card (lifted 2019) compliance framework including vessel monitoring system (VMS) and observer programmes. Coordinates with Customs and the Marine Department on seafood export certification. Critical regulatory counterparty for shrimp farms, tilapia culture, marine-cage operations, fish-meal producers, and seafood exporters seeking EU, USA, Japan, and China market access.
Programs administered
Aquaculture
Licensing and development
Issues aquaculture licenses for shrimp farms, tilapia ponds, and marine-cage operations. Thailand produces ~900,000 tonnes of aquaculture product annually; DOF is the primary licensing and technical-support counterparty for all operators.
Marine capture
IUU and PIPO control
Port-in Port-out (PIPO) system tracks all Thai fishing vessels. VMS vessel-monitoring requirement covers ~10,000 commercial vessels. The EU IUU yellow-card (lifted 2019) required DOF to overhaul the entire vessel registration and observer system.
Research
Fisheries research and broodstock
Operates brackish-water and marine fisheries stations supplying disease-free broodstock and post-larvae to commercial shrimp farms. EMS-resistant vannamei lines and tilapia genetic improvement are key programmes.
Certification
Export certification
Issues health certificates for seafood exports to EU, US, Japan, and China markets. Coordinates with Customs and Marine Department. Failure to maintain compliance risks market-access suspension affecting ~ $5.8B annual seafood exports.
Thai aquaculture sector overview
Key production metrics, 2024 estimates
White vannamei shrimp
Tilapia
Est. annual volume
~200,000 t
Export value
~ $579.7M
Key market
US, Middle East
Marine fish (cage)
Ornamental fish
Marine capture (total)
Key drivers 2025-2026
Regulation
EUDR and traceability
EU Deforestation Regulation and evolving EU seafood-import rules require farm-level traceability. DOF is building a national aquaculture traceability database linking farm licenses to export certificates.
Disease
EMS and AHPND resilience
Early Mortality Syndrome and Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease remain endemic risks. DOF broodstock programmes and biosecurity protocols directly influence Thai vannamei export competitiveness against Ecuador, India.
IUU compliance
Post-yellow-card maintenance
Maintaining IUU-clean status with the EU requires continuous PIPO data quality, observer coverage, and VMS uptime. Any compliance slip risks re-flagging affecting the entire Thai seafood export industry.
Where this profile is featured
Reports that reference this entity in their operator concentration or analysis.
Featured in
Thai Cockfighting and Fighting-Fish: Inside the Cultural-Sport Wage...
Regulates aquarium-fish export including pla kat fighting-fish.
Featured in
Thai Fishing Fleet and the Songkhla Deep-Sea Tuna Port: Post-IUU Re...
Regulates aquarium-fish export including pla kat fighting-fish.
Featured in
Thai Shrimp Aquaculture: CPF, Thai Union, and the Vannamei Export E...
Regulates aquarium-fish export including pla kat fighting-fish.
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Reports featuring this profile
Thai Cockfighting and Fighting-Fish: Inside the Cultural-Sport Wagering Economy
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Sits alongside 5 other Atlas profilesThai Fishing Fleet and the Songkhla Deep-Sea Tuna Port: Post-IUU Reform Restructuring
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Sits alongside 5 other Atlas profilesThai Shrimp Aquaculture: CPF, Thai Union, and the Vannamei Export Engine
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competitor
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competitor
Grobest Thailand
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