Reporting on the results of combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and removing the "yellow card" warning from the European Commission (EC), the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development - the standing unit of the Steering Committee, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that after more than 5 years (from October 23, 2017) of implementing solutions to combat IUU fishing, implementing EC recommendations, removing the "yellow card" warning and through the inspection results from the 3rd EC Inspection Team in October 2022, the situation of combating IUU fishing has had positive changes. However, there are still many limitations that are slow to be overcome locally, which have been recognized, assessed and recommended by the EC Inspection Team.

Accordingly, the EC continues to acknowledge and appreciate Vietnam's political determination, especially the attention and drastic direction of the Standing Secretariat, the Government and the Prime Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang gave a directive speech.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has coordinated well with ministries, branches and localities, directed and implemented many positive solutions to combat IUU fishing; prepared well the content, plan and working program with the EC Inspection Team, provided full relevant records and documents to ensure transparency, honesty and objectivity. In fact, the situation of combating IUU fishing has improved a lot compared to the second actual inspection in 2019.

Specifically, the basic legal framework has met international requirements on combating IUU fishing and continues to be improved in a positive direction. Fleet management and installation of VMS equipment (equipment providing information on location, tracks and some activities of vessels to managers, providing information services between management stations and vessels operating in the system's control area - PV ) have had positive changes; a software system has been deployed to monitor and manage administrative violation handling activities in the fisheries sector. Overall, the implementation of control of imported aquatic products under the provisions of the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) has improved compared to before.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Binh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, spoke at the conference.

The report also pointed out some shortcomings and limitations in the implementation of the fight against IUU fishing. Accordingly, the organization and implementation of the Fisheries Law and regulations against IUU fishing are not yet consistent and consistent among localities. Currently, some localities have implemented relatively well, while many localities have not yet met the requirements.

Regarding the prevention and handling of Vietnamese fishing vessels illegally exploiting seafood in foreign waters, law enforcement forces at sea patrol, inspect, and control in adjacent and overlapping sea areas, and key areas to prevent and handle fishing vessels with violations. To date, the forces have prevented and stopped the situation of Vietnamese fishing vessels violating in Pacific countries and island nations.

Discussions at the meeting showed that the main reason is that the heads of authorities at all levels in some localities have not paid due attention to the task of combating IUU fishing, aquatic resources are increasingly depleted and there is a lack of strong enough sanctions against illegal seafood operators. In addition, there are still cases of fishermen sending navigation equipment to other vessels or using other measures to avoid being monitored.

Law enforcement and administrative sanctions have been actively implemented in many localities and law enforcement forces at sea. In 2020, the forces handled more than 2,000 cases with a total fine of more than 61 billion VND; in 2021, nearly 1,700 cases with a total fine of more than 21 billion VND; by 2022, nearly 1,000 cases were handled with a total fine of more than 16 billion VND; since the beginning of the year, more than 13 billion VND has been handled.

Delegates commented that, in general, the rate of cases handled is still low compared to reality and uneven among localities, especially violations such as not recording or submitting fishing logs, not maintaining or disconnecting the journey monitoring device on fishing vessels, fishing in the wrong area, using prohibited fishing gear, etc.

Proposing key tasks and solutions to combat IUU fishing until October 2023, preparing to work with the 4th EC Inspection Delegation, delegates attending the conference requested that forces take strong measures to resolutely prevent and not allow fishing vessels to illegally exploit seafood in foreign waters. Along with that, trace the origin of exploited seafood; control imported raw materials of exploited seafood, especially imported by container ships; focus on handling IUU violations.

Concluding the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister agreed with the report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; highly appreciated the results achieved by the functional forces in the efforts to combat IUU fishing in recent times.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang emphasized that if the "yellow card" is not resolutely removed, it may be increased to the "red card" level, meaning that Vietnam will lose its seafood export market to Europe. The Deputy Prime Minister stated that the illegal fishing situation is not only narrowing the seafood export market but also affecting the country's image. The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that there has been no effective solution so far and that some localities are still lax in management. Stating the determination to prevent illegal fishing in accordance with the EC's recommendations, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang suggested that in the immediate future, in October, ministries, branches and localities should try their best to remove the "yellow card"; expressing the hope that ministries, branches and localities will be more resolute and responsible.

News and photos: VNA