Some countries sink violating ships, not punish them lightly like we do.

On the afternoon of August 15, the National Assembly Standing Committee held a question-and-answer session on a group of issues under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The removal of the European Commission’s (EC) “IUU yellow card” on seafood has received much attention from National Assembly deputies.

National Assembly deputies all raised the question: Can Vietnam achieve the goal of removing the IUU yellow card in the EC's 4th assessment this coming October?

Responding to questions from National Assembly deputies, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that the country's marine fishery reserves are 3.95 million tons, but 3.8 million have been exploited. According to the EC, with that exploitation intensity, fishery resources will decline.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan at the question-and-answer session this afternoon. Photo: National Assembly.

Regarding solutions, the Minister affirmed that along with exploitation, there must be farming.

When aquaculture is promoted, the fleet will be reduced from more than 120,000 to more than 90,000. He further cited that in Thailand, the fishing grounds are only 70% of Vietnam's but they have a fleet of only 40,000 vessels.

The Minister emphasized that prioritizing aquaculture not only solves the problem of aquatic resources for fishermen but also changes their careers. Along with that, there must be investment from businesses.

However, the Minister also acknowledged that this issue is entangled in the planning of marine space and is related to security, defense, and tourism. The Minister said that next December, the Politburo will discuss marine space planning, from which there will be a plan for aquaculture at sea. "This is a solution for people to reduce exploitation or voluntarily reduce exploitation," the Minister shared.

Regarding the difficulty in controlling fishing vessels, the Minister analyzed that due to the nature of fishing grounds, fish move seasonally, so fishing vessels follow the fish movement. After fishing, the vessels will return to the nearest port, not to the locality where they are registered.

"Using digital technology, we are directing fishing vessels to comply with the rules of movement and displacement for management and traceability," the Minister proposed a solution.

The Minister also affirmed that removing the IUU yellow card is not the only goal, but must preserve the reserves and biodiversity of Vietnam's oceans and seas.

"If the yellow card can be removed but the sustainability cannot be maintained, then after removing this yellow card, another yellow card will be applied," Minister Hoan shared.

The Minister quoted two statements from the EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries: "If we do not impose the yellow card, Vietnam will continue to exploit its resources to the fullest extent. Who will be at a disadvantage? Will Vietnam or the EU be at a disadvantage? Second, do you think it is fair that violators and non-violators are treated the same?"

The Minister analyzed that, compared to the Philippines or Thailand, the industry structure of these countries is more solid than Vietnam, from fishermen to businesses, an industry ecosystem is built. These countries use very strong measures, such as sinking ships in the middle of the sea that violate regulations, not just fining them like Vietnam.

The EC also believes in Vietnam's determination in implementing the "180-day peak plan against IUU fishing"; the development of the Fisheries Law and the implementing decree of Vietnam all consulted the EC's comments.

But the Minister also frankly stated that the EC does not trust the implementation at the local level and emphasized that "this is a difficult problem, especially for coastal provinces, so we must coordinate actions".

"We often think that if people are poor and the fines are too heavy, it's a pity for them. But we can no longer justify poverty to the EU. They need us to act," the Minister said.

In Vietnam, nearly 60% of violations in localities have not been handled. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will send a list of localities with frequent violations to the Prime Minister.

The Minister affirmed that it is time to deal with it seriously, otherwise it will not be enough of a deterrent and there will be no change.

Source