Quang Binh tightens management of "3 no" fishing boats

Fisherman Pham Van Tam in Ba Don town (Quang Binh province) said that 2 years ago, his family bought a 350CV boat but because the transfer papers have not been completed, they have not been able to register it and have had to stay ashore for nearly 2 years. He went to Quang Phuc ward to confirm and complete procedures to get all kinds of documents related to the fishing boat but it was very difficult because of the lack of many bases due to "too strict" regulations.

Not only Mr. Tam, but according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Binh, the whole province has 800 "3 no" fishing boats, of which 711 are from 6m to under 12m long; 50 are from 12m to under 15m long; 39 are from 15m or longer. The localities with the largest number of "3 no" fishing boats are Ba Don town (424 fishing boats), Quang Ninh (120 fishing boats), Quang Trach (95 fishing boats).

The reason for the “3 no” fishing vessels is that many ship owners arbitrarily converted their engines, changed jobs without completing the procedures for changing names or ownership; fishing vessels purchased from other provinces without transferring ownership records according to regulations, or converted vessels do not meet the requirements for inspection. There are even fishing vessels that have been lying on shore for a long time without operating or have been seized by banks for a long time, leading to the expiration of their inspection. Therefore, the management of these fishing vessels in localities is facing many difficulties, affecting the province's work to prevent IUU fishing.

Standing Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Binh province, Doan Ngoc Lam, requested local authorities to direct the People's Committees at the commune level to conduct specific and detailed checks to compile statistics and make a list of "3 no" fishing vessels, from which to take handling measures.

Specifically, for fishing vessels from 12m to under 15m, localities shall make a specific list and coordinate with the provincial Fisheries Department to carry out inspection according to regulations. The Fisheries Department shall closely coordinate with the People's Committees at the commune level, specialized departments and offices at the district level to strengthen propaganda work, instruct fishermen to carry out procedures for registering and inspecting fishing vessels according to regulations; assign staff to stay in the area to assist fishermen in this work. Particularly for fishing vessels with registration numbers but old, inactive or no longer have vessels, the ship owners shall be instructed to carry out procedures for deregistration.

Since mid-May 2024, the People's Committee of Bao Ninh Commune, Dong Hoi City (Quang Binh Province) has continuously broadcast announcements on the commune's public address system, disseminated through associations and groups on social networks and through meetings of residential areas about the State's policy of creating favorable conditions and supporting fishermen to carry out procedures for registering and inspecting "3 no" fishing vessels according to new regulations. Fishermen voluntarily and actively cooperate and create favorable conditions for functional forces and local authorities to implement this plan as soon as possible.

Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Bao Ninh Commune, Dao Quang Vinh, said that in reality, there are quite a lot of "3 no" fishing boats in the commune due to the fishermen's previous free fishing habits. Since being informed and advised, fishermen really want the authorities to consider granting them licenses so that they can confidently take their boats to sea to legally fish. This not only helps to regulate the management of boats but also creates favorable conditions for fishermen to go offshore and stick to the sea to exploit aquatic products in accordance with regulations.

One day in mid-June, according to the registration schedule, many fishermen from Bao Ninh commune showed up early at the local shipyard to register their fishing boats. The inspection center under the Quang Binh Fisheries Sub-Department also sent a working group to Bao Ninh commune quite early, bringing specialized equipment to inspect the boats and equipment to issue registration certificates for the fishing boats. Many owners of the "3 no" fishing boats were very happy with the new and highly responsible way of working of the authorities.

Mr. Mai Van Mui, owner of a 320CV fishing boat, who was just guided by the working group to sign the inspection report and complete the procedures, happily said that for many years, due to the lack of registration documents, his family's fishing boat was considered to be operating without a license. Therefore, going out to sea to catch aquatic and marine products was very difficult, even impossible. When the policy was supported, the family was very happy because now they have all the necessary licenses for the fishing boat to go out to sea to fish in accordance with regulations.

According to Le Ngoc Linh, Head of the Quang Binh Fisheries Sub-Department, up to now, due to the existence of hundreds of “3 no” fishing vessels, the Sub-Department as well as coastal localities have not been able to manage them. Meanwhile, the inspection of vessels and issuance of fishing licenses have encountered many difficulties and obstacles, and people have not voluntarily implemented them.

Faced with that reality, in early May 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a Circular amending and supplementing a number of articles of Circular No. 23/2018/TT-BNNPTNT dated November 15, 2018 regulating fishing vessel inspectors; recognition of fishing vessel inspection facilities; ensuring technical safety of fishing vessels and fisheries control vessels; registration of fishing vessels and fisheries service vessels; deregistration of fishing vessels and marking of fishing vessels... which has helped authorities to remove the above-mentioned obstacles.

Accordingly, the fishing vessel registration dossier and registration declaration must be certified by the People's Committee of the commune or ward where the vessel owner has registered his/her permanent residence to serve as a basis for the competent authority to correctly identify the subject and means. In addition, the vessel owner must provide copies of the fishing vessel's technical safety certificate, the vessel registration fee payment notice, and color photos of the entire vessel from both sides.

“The confirmation from the commune or ward authorities where the ship owner registers his/her permanent residence is to ensure the traceability of seafood, to overcome the situation of abandoning the ship or the ship owner fleeing and not being able to be found when there is a violation of IUU fishing. The Quang Binh Fisheries Sub-Department has disseminated the necessary documents and procedures to the communes and villages with sea or seagoing vehicles. Thereby, people have grasped the necessary procedures to go to the People's Committee of the commune or ward to declare and confirm,” Mr. Linh added.

With the efforts of the Fisheries Department and local authorities, by the end of June 2024, Quang Binh province completed licensing procedures for nearly 600 “3 no” fishing vessels to become vessels with legal records for management and is continuing to issue licenses for the remaining 200 vessels. Mr. Doan Ngoc Lam said that putting the management of “3 no” fishing vessels into order helps the locality solve one of the major obstacles in overcoming IUU.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/quang-binh-siet-chat-quan-ly-tau-ca-3-khong-post816717.html