On 14-17 July 2025, the Department of ASEAN Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD), organized a workshop and study visit titled “Small-scale Marine Fisheries Data Collection for Fisheries Management in ASEAN” for representatives from ASEAN Member States to support Thailand’s role as shepherd for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the ASEAN Coordinating Task Force on Blue Economy (ACTF-BE) and as the ASEAN Coordinator on Sustainable Development Cooperation.

The programme included exchanges on the status and challenges of small-scale fisheries among ASEAN Member States, technical training on data collection and management methods by experts from the Department of Fisheries, and a field visit to Phayun Beach, Rayong Province, where participants observed Thailand’s practical data collection methods for small-scale fisheries, which could be adapted in their respective countries.