To contribute to preventing and completely ending illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, Bac Lieu regularly pays attention to and promotes propaganda and dissemination of laws to raise awareness among vehicle owners, captains, and fishermen, contributing to the removal of the European yellow card with other provinces and cities nationwide.
Colonel Nguyen Thai Duong - Deputy Political Commissar of Coast Guard Region 4 Command and Mr. Pham Van Muoi - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development presented Uncle Ho's photo, flag and medical bag to fishermen of Ganh Hao town (Dong Hai district).
Diversified forms of propaganda
Recently, the Coast Guard Region 4 Command coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to disseminate and disseminate laws on IUU prevention to more than 300 fishing boat owners, captains, and coastal fishermen in Bac Lieu City, Hoa Binh District, and Dong Hai District. Fishing boat owners, captains, and fishermen were informed by reporters of the Coast Guard Region 4 Command about the basic contents of the 2017 Law on Fisheries of Vietnam, the 2018 Law on the Vietnam Coast Guard, and legal documents on preventing and combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, aiming to put an end to the situation of fishing boats violating foreign waters to illegally exploit aquatic resources.
Mr. Tran Trong's family (Hamlet 4, Ganh Hao town, Dong Hai district) has 2 boats over 15m long that are registered, inspected and fully equipped with voyage monitoring equipment. Mr. Tran Trong said: "My family's fishing boats often fish in the Con Dao area. Previously, the boats also went fishing in foreign areas, but in recent years, thanks to the provincial authorities and Coast Guard Region 4's propaganda on preventing and combating IUU, I no longer let my boats fish in foreign waters. At the same time, I comply with all State regulations on combating IUU fishing."
Identifying that propaganda plays a very important role in raising awareness of IUU fishing prevention, the province has promoted propaganda, training, and dissemination of the Law on Fisheries and its guiding documents, especially the regulations on combating IUU fishing, for the fishing community. At the same time, regular patrols, inspections, and control of fishing activities in the sea areas; monitoring fishing vessels through the positioning system and regularly reminding them through the radio communication system. Accordingly, since the beginning of the year, the functional sector has organized propaganda, dissemination, and legal education for 1,711 ship owners and captains on regulations on fishing vessels in the sea areas, registration, and inspection of fishing vessels. Recording and submitting fishing logbooks, distributing 614 leaflets, and presenting more than 1,800 national flags to fishermen.
Propaganda work was also carried out through the local loudspeaker system, along with mobilizing vehicle owners and captains to commit to not violating foreign waters. As a result, 100% of vehicle owners and captains signed a commitment not to violate.
Colonel Nguyen Thai Duong, Deputy Political Commissar of Coast Guard Region 4 Command:
The Coast Guard Region 4 Command has proactively coordinated closely with localities, including Bac Lieu province, to promote propaganda and dissemination of legal education for captains and fishermen to prevent IUU fishing. The Command Region has also mobilized ships to carry out anti-IUU fishing tasks in the border sea area. This has contributed significantly to promoting the EC to soon remove the yellow card warning for the Vietnamese fisheries industry.
Strong handling of violations
To effectively implement the recommendations of the European Commission on combating IUU fishing, in addition to focusing on diversifying forms of propaganda, the Provincial IUU Steering Committee also directed functional agencies to develop mechanisms and policies to support fishing vessel owners in purchasing and installing vessel monitoring equipment (VMS). Review and count the total number of fishing vessels registered, inspected, licensed for fishing, and installed VMS equipment according to regulations. Update 100% of fishing vessel data to the National Fisheries Database. Make a list of fishing vessels at high risk of violating IUU fishing and fishing vessels that have been sold to individuals in other provinces but have not completed transfer procedures.
Inspect and control 100% of fishing vessels entering and leaving ports at Border Control Stations to ensure that they have full documents and equipment as prescribed. Fishing vessels entering and leaving ports must comply with regulations, ensuring that VMS equipment operates continuously 24/7 from the time they leave the port until they arrive at the port. Monitor 100% of fishing vessels operating at sea through the system to receive, process, and provide information on journey monitoring data; at the same time, coordinate with relevant agencies and units to handle fishing vessels that cross maritime boundaries, do not maintain operations, or disable journey monitoring equipment during operations at sea.
Bac Lieu also developed a coordination regulation with coastal provinces and cities to control provincial fishing vessels operating outside the province. Review fishing vessel docking points to unload exploited aquatic products at fishing ports. Organize monitoring and traceability of 100% of exploited aquatic products unloaded in the province; ensure that 100% of fishing vessels with a length of 15m or more must dock at the designated port (Ganh Hao Fishing Port) to unload aquatic products. Captains and owners of fishing vessels must notify before docking and record and submit fishing logs according to regulations; check and compare information in the fishing log to ensure consistency with fishing vessel monitoring data. Carry out confirmation, certification and traceability of exploited aquatic products according to the instructions of the Ministry of Agriculture; ensure that 100% of export shipments to the European market and other markets that require traceability of exploited aquatic raw materials...
Mr. Pham Van Muoi - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said: "To combat IUU fishing, the province has strictly handled cases of illegal fishing in foreign waters and reported on mass media. Handling cases of brokerage and collusion to bring fishing boats and fishermen of Bac Lieu to illegally exploit seafood in foreign waters to prevent and deter. At the same time, launching peak patrols, inspections and controls with coordination between inter-sectoral and inter-provincial functional agencies and strictly punishing 100% of IUU fishing acts according to regulations...".
Minh Dat
The provincial Fisheries Department promotes registration and inspection for ship owners and captains in Dong Hai district. Photo: M.D.
According to the provincial Fisheries Department, the total number of registered fishing vessels in the province to date is 1,019. Of these, 452 are vessels with a length of 15m or more, 209 are vessels with a length of 12 to less than 15m, and 358 are vessels with a length of 6 to less than 12m. The authorities have issued 761 fishing licenses to fishing vessels, of which 447 are vessels with a length of 15m or more.
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