Thanh Hoa has a large fishing ground with many types of seafood of high economic value, so the annual output reaches about 130 thousand tons. However, the rate of seafood monitored through the port system is very low. To contribute to removing the European Commission's (EC) yellow card for seafood, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has directed to strengthen control and traceability of seafood exploited at fishing ports in the area, ensuring regulations on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Authorities carry out inspection and supervision of aquatic product output at fishing ports by recording and submitting fishermen's logbooks and fishing logbooks.
Without having to spend too much time and effort on recording the fishing log, Mr. Vien Dinh Sy, owner of the ship with registration number TH - 92929 TS in Quang Cu ward (Sam Son city) when docking at the port, instead of submitting a paper fishing log, he only needs to open the software on his smartphone to submit all the information about the fishing location, fishing output... Implementing this digital technology application has helped Mr. Sy save time, helping fishing port staff easily control output and grasp the fishing journey of the ship at sea.
Mr. Sy said that in 2023, his ship was piloted by the authorities to install and instruct captains and ship owners to use electronic logbooks when operating at sea. Using electronic logbooks helps fishermen to record, preserve, and declare logbooks more conveniently, while ensuring compliance with legal regulations on recording and submitting logbooks. Thanks to that, when docking at any port, his family's ship completed the procedures quickly, making it convenient for product consumption. After the trial period, realizing the convenience and effectiveness, he contacted the authorities to install and apply electronic logbooks when operating at sea.
Mr. Le Van Han, an officer of Lach Hoi Fishing Port (Sam Son City), said: In order to control the output of seafood exploited through the ports, the Thanh Hoa Fishing Port Management Board has been cooperating with a number of reputable enterprises to promote and train fishermen on the installation of electronic fishing logs. At the same time, supporting the pilot installation on a number of ships and boats, especially those operating in offshore areas, helps fishermen access modern technology. The installation and widespread use of electronic fishing logs not only helps fishermen operate in accordance with regulations, helps port management boards control the output through the ports, but also gradually moves towards a modern and sustainable fishing profession.
Thanh Hoa currently has more than 6,000 fishing vessels, of which 1,095 are vessels with a length of 15m or more (participating in offshore fishing), with an annual seafood output of more than 130,000 tons. Of which, more than 60% is offshore seafood output. However, one of the mandatory regulations of the EC in removing the "yellow card" for Vietnamese seafood is that 100% of the output exploited from offshore fishing vessels must be monitored for traceability at ports through log reports of each fishing trip. In reality, in the province, monitoring of fishing output at ports is not really effective, the rate of monitored output is still low. The reason given by the agricultural sector is that the infrastructure of fishing ports is degraded, large-capacity boats have difficulty docking; recording and submitting fishing logs by fishermen is still limited...
According to statistics from the Thanh Hoa Fisheries Department, in the first 4 months of 2024, the total output of exploited seafood reached 43,532 tons. Of which, the output of seafood monitored through 3 designated fishing ports including: Hoa Loc (Hau Loc), Lach Hoi (Sam Son City) and Lach Bang (Nghi Son Town) only reached 2,251.3 tons, accounting for nearly 5.8% of the total output.
Deputy Head of Thanh Hoa Fisheries Sub-Department Le Van Sang said: Thanh Hoa Fishing Port Management Board has been guiding fishermen in keeping logbooks to ensure accurate reporting and control of output through the port. In addition, the sub-department has coordinated with the Department of Fisheries to open more training courses, using electronic fishing logbooks for fishermen to widely apply in fishing. This not only ensures regulations on combating IUU fishing but also helps fishermen save time and effort, ensuring fishing logbooks and travel logbooks are kept when working at sea.
The 5th inspection on anti-IUU fishing is scheduled for June 2024. The EC inspection team will focus on overcoming previous recommendations such as: Controlling and handling fishing vessels violating foreign waters; controlling fishing vessels entering/exiting ports and operating at sea; monitoring and tracing the origin of aquatic products from exploitation through recording and submitting fishing logs at fishing ports... Therefore, making information transparent from the management of fishing vessels entering/exiting ports to loading and unloading goods, monitoring seafood output at ports will ensure the implementation of the Fisheries Law and EC recommendations achieve the best results, contributing to joining hands with the whole country to remove the IUU "yellow card" for the Vietnamese fisheries industry.
Article and photos: Le Hoa
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