Incorrect mining log
According to the Kien Giang Fishing Port Management Board (Management Board), in the first 9 months of 2023, the unit inspected over 3,200 ships arriving at the port, of which more than 1,500 ships loaded and unloaded aquatic products weighing over 23,000 tons.
Mr. Ngo Van Lam - Director of the Management Board - said: At Tac Cau fishing port, 14 people are assigned to monitor 100% of the output loaded and unloaded through the port. An Thoi port (Phu Quoc) has fewer ships arriving at the port, so 6 people are assigned. For the inspection of fishing vessels entering and leaving the port, the unit coordinates with the Fisheries Control Inspection Team, the Fisheries Control Sub-Department and Tay Yen Border Guard Station (An Bien district) to inspect fishing vessels over 15m arriving at the port to load and unload goods. An Thoi port coordinates with the An Thoi Port Border Guard Station.
Mr. Lam added: According to regulations, fishing vessels 12m or longer must record their fishing logs and submit them to the fishing port organization before unloading seafood. At Tac Cau fishing port, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has established an inspection office, which discovered that there were cases where fishing vessels only recorded their logs when they reached shore. Some of them were not fully recorded due to limited skills and subjectivity in recording. This led to difficulties in determining the output of each type, difficulties in tracing the origin of seafood, and difficulties in handling.
“For example, the regulation on continuous log keeping, for fishing vessels with an intensity of over 24 hours, there must be at least 2 net catches or more, however, fishermen who fish during the day record them all as 1 net catch, which is unreasonable. But the authorities have no basis to handle it, nor are there any specific regulations,” Mr. Lam shared.
Strict punishment to deter
In recent times, the authorities of Kien Giang province have increased human resources and means of patrolling, controlling and strictly handling violations related to IUU fishing at sea as well as controlling the traceability of exploited aquatic products according to legal regulations. However, the work of confirming and certifying the origin of domestic aquatic products still has some issues that do not meet the EC's traceability requirements.
Mr. Le Van Tinh - Deputy Head of the Department of Fisheries of Kien Giang province - said: From 2022 to now, the Management Board has confirmed more than 200 certificates of origin of exploited aquatic products with a volume of about 5,700 tons, the Department has certified more than 200 certificates of origin of exploited aquatic products with a volume of over 2,000 tons. Relevant ministries, branches and Kien Giang province have organized a working group to inspect the work of confirming exploited aquatic products with the Management Board and the work of certifying the origin of exploited aquatic products with the Department.
According to the Department, some problems exist such as the qualifications of captains and crew members are still limited, information on fishing logs is incomplete and inaccurate; fishing vessels operate with expired fishing licenses, especially expired fishing vessel safety certificates; fishing activities are in the wrong area, making it difficult to prepare appraisal records...
Mr. Ngo Van Lam - Director of the Management Board - said that the solution is to increase patrols and inspections at sea with operating ships, they record whether they are safe or not. In case of violations, they will be strictly punished to deter.
“When the authorities detect it, they will coordinate and inform the fishing port to monitor this shipment when it arrives at the port, serving the work of confirming the origin, ensuring the confirmation documents when exporting. In addition, we also recommend that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development soon complete the electronic diary software system to reduce difficulties in recording for fishermen,” Mr. Lam shared.
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