A surge in diesel prices triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran is pushing Thailand’s multibillion-dollar fishing industry towards a standstill, with fishermen warning that their boats could be idled within days unless the government steps in, reports Reuters.

At the country’s largest fishing port in a central province along the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, over half of the fishing trawlers are already docked and those still operating would likely stop work within days, said Jumpol Kanawaree, president of the Samut Sakhon Fishmonger Association.

“After April 1, you may see that there may be no fish sold because the fishing boats can no longer bear the cost of their crewmen, their families,” he said.

“They won’t be able to make ends meet.”