On May 5, the Phu Yen Province Fishing Port Management Board confirmed that it had notified fishing vessel owners that it would not carry out port entry procedures for transshipment fishing vessels if they did not have a fishing logbook or a transshipment logbook of the vessel sending fish to the port to determine the origin of the fish. Ship owners were also notified not to register additional logistics services for transshipment fishing vessels.
Many difficulties
Previously, the Representative Office of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper in the South Central - Central Highlands region received many complaints from fishermen about the risk of fishing boats having to stay ashore due to losses on sea trips if they were not allowed to send the caught fish to the boat in the team as before.
Fishing boats enter Hon Ro port - the only port in Khanh Hoa qualified to confirm the origin of seafood. Photo: KY NAM
Mr. Dang Van Doan, owner and captain of fishing boat PY-96356-TS in Ward 6, Tuy Hoa City, said that for a long time, his Song Da tuna fishing fleet would send a ship to carry all the fish caught by the whole team back before going out to sea. The remaining ships would catch more. "Doing this ensures the quality of the fish because they don't have to be stored on the ship for a long time and reduces the cost of the trip. Now, if we don't do that and have to return to shore after catching only 5 or 10 fish, we will only lose money," Mr. Doan analyzed.
Mr. Luong Cong Xuyen - owner of the PY-90144-TS ship, captain of the Hai Duong fleet of 12 ships in Phu Dong ward, Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen province - assessed that the effort to remove the IUU yellow card (against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) is a joint effort of fishermen and the entire political system. Sending fish back requires sending along the fishing logbook and the transport logbook to determine the origin of the fish, where it was caught, and whether there was a violation or not, which is correct. However, the regulation requiring the addition of a logistics service profession, according to Mr. Xuyen, does not determine the origin of the fish, while registering for an additional profession is not easy when the fishing season is approaching.
According to fisherman Tran Khac Thach, owner of ship KH-99766-TS in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province, the province has 4 fishing ports announced under the Fisheries Law, namely Hon Ro, Da Bac, Vinh Luong, and Dai Lanh. However, only Hon Ro fishing port is qualified to certify the origin of exploited aquatic products, causing many difficulties for fishermen.
Lots to do
Mr. Ha Vien, Director of Phu Yen Province Fishing Port Management Board, said that the notification to the above ship owners came from the conference between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and 28 coastal provinces and cities on April 21. At that time, after the inspection team inspected Quy Nhon fishing port, they discovered a ship docking with more fish than the fishing log. It turned out that this fishing ship was receiving fish from other ships while it did not have a logistics service, only a fishing business in its license.
"The Ministry has pointed out that this is not in accordance with regulations. When we came back, we checked and found that many fishing boats in Phu Yen were the same. Therefore, we have announced and promoted to fishermen that in addition to the fishing logbook and the transfer logbook, the boat that receives fish from other boats to the port must have a logistics service profession," said Mr. Vien. Mr. Vien said that in the whole Phu Yen province, there are only about 20 purse seine boats in Dong Hoa town that have registered for logistics services, the rest of the ocean tuna fishing boats in the open sea in Phu Yen do not have this additional profession.
Mr. Nguyen Tri Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Phu Yen province, said that for a long time, the fisheries sector officials have been lenient in ignoring the regulations to try to remove the yellow card. "Now the fisheries sector cannot be arbitrary. If you have the function and task, you can do it, otherwise, you can't, but if you do it yourself, you are violating the law. Therefore, fishermen must take the trouble to register for the logistics service profession. Only with this profession can they transport fish. The fisheries sector will create conditions for quick and simple procedures," said Mr. Phuong.
According to the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, in order to effectively combat IUU fishing, the locality recommends that relevant agencies soon have a plan to support satellite subscription fees for fishing boat owners to install voyage monitoring equipment. In addition, early negotiations on demarcation of Vietnam's maritime boundaries with relevant countries are needed to better manage fishing activities.
Strengthening patrol forces in the seas to help prevent and reduce the situation of Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessels violating the waters of other countries to illegally fish and promptly supporting and rescuing Vietnamese fishing vessels in distress at sea... are also necessary things to do.
Do not cause trouble for fishermen
On May 4, the People's Committee of Binh Thuan province issued an urgent dispatch requesting functional departments, branches, People's Committees of coastal districts, towns and cities to resolutely and synchronously implement measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Also related to tightening fishing to remove the IUU yellow card, Mr. Dang Van Tin, Head of the Department of Fisheries of Ninh Thuan province, informed that the province tightened regulations on fishing but did not prohibit fishermen from sending their catches. "Currently, Ninh Thuan province does not implement this regulation. We strictly implement regulations on fishing but do not cause trouble for fishermen" - Mr. Tin said.
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