The Party and State are resolutely implementing the European Commission’s (EC) “yellow card” against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to build a sustainable fisheries sector. To contribute to the whole country in removing the IUU “yellow card”, in addition to the efforts of the government and functional agencies, there needs to be the joint efforts and voluntary compliance of businesses and fishermen operating in the fields of seafood trading, exploitation and processing.
Seafood caught by fishermen on boats arriving at Cua Viet fishing port - Photo: LE MINH
Resolutely remove the IUU "yellow card"
To join hands with the whole country to remove the "yellow card", Quang Tri province has issued many policies and regulations to support fishermen and overcome shortcomings and problems in the fisheries sector.
Accordingly, on March 22, 2023, the Provincial Party Standing Committee issued Directive No. 30-CT/TU on strengthening direction to thoroughly overcome the EC's warnings on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; on July 29, 2023, the Provincial People's Council issued Resolution No. 55/2023/NQ-HDND promulgating the Regulation on policy to support subscription fees for satellite services to monitor fishing vessel routes in Quang Tri province for the period 2023 - 2025.
The Party Committee of the Provincial People's Committee issued Resolution No. 05/NQ/BCSĐ dated October 20, 2023 directing the fight against IUU fishing; the Provincial People's Committee issued 2 legal documents, 1 directive, 15 plans, 80 directive documents, 10 administrative decisions; the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued 6 decisions, 7 plans, 215 directive documents, and instructions for implementation. This shows the high political determination of the province and related sectors in overcoming shortcomings and problems in the exploitation, processing, and trading of aquatic products to remove the "yellow card" of the EC.
To ensure fishermen comply with regulations on fishing, the authorities have stepped up propaganda on mass media. In particular, the management boards of fishing ports use loudspeakers to broadcast the provisions of the Fisheries Law and guidance documents at a frequency of 4 hours/day at 3 designated fishing ports.
In addition, providing content on combating IUU fishing for coastal local authorities to propagate on loudspeaker systems; organizing training and instructions on using seafood traceability software for more than 200 ship owners.
The authorities have strengthened the fleet management force, monitored, supervised and controlled the activities of fishing vessels and the volume of aquatic products unloaded through the port. In particular, they have installed voyage monitoring equipment on 188 fishing vessels, compiled a list of fishing vessels not participating in fishing, inspected voyage monitoring equipment, ensured the equipment operated 24/7, and maintained connection with the vessel owners.
At 3 designated fishing ports including Cua Viet fishing port, Ben Ca Cho Cua Viet fishing port, Cua Tung fishing port, in the first 6 months of the year, the authorities inspected and controlled 553 ships leaving the port, 605 ships arriving at the port, and unloaded aquatic products. In addition, they confirmed, certified and traced the origin of exploited aquatic and seafood products with 2,273 logbooks; supervised 3,728.74 tons of aquatic products unloaded through the port; and issued food safety certificates to 181 establishments.
Removing difficulties in handling violations
In Quang Tri, in the first 6 months of 2024, the authorities organized 15 patrols, including 13 at sea, inspected 75 boats, sanctioned 21 violations, and fined 98.4 million VND. Currently, Quang Tri has a fleet of 2,282 boats, with a total capacity of 139,115.6 CV, of which 1,840 are fishing boats under 6 m in length, and 442 are fishing boats 6 m or longer in length.
Of the 442 vessels with a length of 6 m or more, 15 have not been granted a fishing license, 4 have not been marked as fishing vessels, and 3 have not installed voyage monitoring equipment. In particular, 378 fishing vessels with a length of 6 m to less than 15 m have not been registered according to Circular No. 06/2024/TTBNNPTNT dated May 6, 2024 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. In addition, the rate of monitoring of aquatic product output unloaded through the port has so far only reached 33.48%.
The above situation shows that the risk of violating regulations against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Quang Tri is still latent, making it easy for violations to arise. In order to resolutely remove the EC's "yellow card" and remove difficulties in handling violations, on June 12, 2024, the Supreme People's Court's Judicial Council passed Resolution No. 04/2024/NQĐTP guiding the application of a number of provisions of the Penal Code on criminal prosecution for acts related to illegal exploitation, trading and transportation of aquatic products.
The Resolution consists of 11 articles, guiding the application of 10 articles of the Penal Code related to the following acts: exiting and entering the country to illegally exploit aquatic resources; protecting aquatic resources; obstructing or disrupting the operation of computer networks and telecommunications networks to illegally exploit aquatic resources; infringement in the field of aquatic trade...
This is an important legal basis for competent agencies, organizations and individuals in the central political system and coastal provinces and cities to propagate and disseminate to organizations and individuals related to the exploitation, trading and transportation of aquatic products. Thereby, to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated exploitation of aquatic products.
At the same time, the resolution is also a legal basis for agencies to conduct prosecution to strictly handle cases of brokerage and collusion to bring Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen to illegally exploit in foreign waters, and to legalize documents for seafood shipments. The resolution takes effect from August 1, 2024.
Le Minh
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/go-the-vang-iuu-de-phat-trien-nganh-thuy-san-ben-vung-186612.htm
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