Efforts to prevent IUU fishing

Addressing and resolving the European Commission’s recommendations on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is an urgent task for all levels, sectors, forces and coastal localities. This is also the content that the Border Guard (BĐBP) of Thanh Hoa province attaches great importance to and resolutely implements, with many synchronous and effective solutions.

Hai Hoa Border Guard Station has increased patrols and controls at inlets and coastal beaches; and has encouraged fishermen and vehicle owners to comply with the law.

The provincial Border Guard has increased the number of troops at the Command and mountain units for coastal units and border control stations to carry out the task of combating IUU fishing; coastal border stations use 5 wooden boats and 14 patrol boats to strictly control and manage boats entering and leaving river mouths, creeks, flats and at sea. At Squadron 2, 5 boats and 4 boats are used to regularly patrol and control the coast; coordinate with functional units to patrol, control and strictly manage boats at sea to promptly prevent and handle IUU fishing boats.

Accordingly, propaganda work is carried out by border guards before, during and after fishermen leave port to go fishing; the propaganda content is very diverse, including direct meetings, conversations, leaflet distribution, giving national flags with sacred meanings, arousing national pride and self-esteem, encouraging fishermen to act for the strategic interests and common goals of the whole nation.

Along with doing a good job of propaganda and education, the Border Guard continues to comprehensively deploy border protection measures; proactively coordinate with functional forces to grasp the situation, do a good job of basic investigation, classification, statistical records, closely monitor and inspect ships at "high risk" of violating foreign waters to have timely prevention and handling measures. In order to overcome difficulties due to managing large sea areas with many channels, channels, wharves, and ports where ships can freely pass through and anchor, and are difficult to control, the Provincial Border Guard Command focuses on making breakthroughs in improving the quality of management, patrol, control and combating violations of the law at sea. Thoroughly grasp and implement Regulation No. 4968/QyD-BĐBP, dated December 2, 2021 of the Border Guard Command on patrol work at sea by border stations on sea and islands; Regulation No. 3256/QyĐ-BĐBP, dated August 8, 2022 of the Border Guard Command on the scope, tasks and border control operations of the Border Guard Station on sea and island routes, the Provincial Border Guard proactively reviews, supplements plans, and strengthens mobile patrol and control teams.

The Provincial Border Guard has coordinated with the Coast Guard Region 1 Command to participate in joint patrols in the waters adjacent to the demarcation line of the Gulf of Tonkin between Vietnam and China. In 2024, the Border Guard organized patrols and controls on rivers, seas, estuaries, and beaches 568 times/2,688 officers and soldiers participated; detected and handled 112 cases/140 vehicles violating the fisheries sector; warned, reminded, and did not allow 57 vehicles to leave the port without sufficient paperwork and safety equipment. For vehicles that do not meet the conditions, the Border Guard will increase forces at all river mouths without control stations, and control posts will be established at river mouths. Coordinate with relevant agencies and units to conduct a general review and complete licensing for fishing vessels in the area; Strengthen fleet management, organize patrols, inspections, and closely monitor the activities of fishing vessels, promptly detect and handle violations. For vessels that deliberately do not comply with the provisions of the law, resolutely enforce and bring the vessels ashore to seal and prevent them from operating. Classify and compile records of cases in the "high risk" group of IUU violations. Timely exchange, notify, and coordinate with relevant agencies, units, and localities with violating vessels to monitor, supervise, and promptly apply preventive measures, focusing on Sam Son City, Quang Xuong and Hoang Hoa districts, which are localities with many fishing vessels exploiting seafood in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Strictly implementing the direction of the Provincial Border Guard Command, through professional work, the coastal border posts have promoted the effectiveness of the activities of the safe boat teams, self-managed ports, and coordinated to check the number of registered fishing vessels and workers, thereby promptly preventing organizations and individuals with signs of organizing fishing vessels to exploit in foreign waters. Thanks to that, the management and control of fishing vessels, especially "3 no" fishing vessels, the activities of fishing vessels at sea have been closely monitored, controlled, and supervised, the awareness of law compliance of the majority of fishermen in the process of exploiting seafood has been raised; the situation of fishing vessel violations has decreased significantly, both in terms of the number of incidents and the number of violating vessels, contributing to maintaining security and safety in the managed sea area.

Article and photos: Tuan Khoa

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/no-luc-ngan-chan-khai-thac-iuu-234663.htm