The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that recently, Vietnam has proactively strengthened cooperation in promoting and effectively implementing the recommendations of the European Commission in the "yellow card warning" on IUU fishing .
Some localities have allocated resources, provided professional training, upgraded infrastructure, etc. to control fishing vessels at ports. Photo: Hoai Luan
Priority, urgent tasks
As planned, the inspection delegation of the European Commission (EC) will arrive in Vietnam on October 10 to begin examining the results of the implementation of the fight against IUU fishing to consider removing the "yellow card" warning, making it easier for Vietnam to export seafood.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), this is the fourth time the EC has worked with Vietnam on implementing the European Commission's recommendations against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, since Vietnam was given an IUU "yellow card" warning in 2017.
Recently, the entire political system has taken action, implemented many solutions, and determined to remove the IUU "yellow card".
The Standing Secretariat issued Document No. 81-CV/TW dated March 20, 2020 on strengthening leadership and direction to effectively implement the work of preventing and combating IUU fishing; considering this a priority and urgent task at the local level; senior leaders of the State, National Assembly, and Government have had many meetings and discussions with senior leaders of the European Union on Vietnam's commitments, efforts, and political determination to combat IUU fishing.
To date, 26/28 coastal provinces and cities directly under the Central Government have completed the review and inventory of existing fishing vessels in the locality, determining fishing quotas in coastal and offshore waters according to the provisions of Article 49 of the 2017 Fisheries Law.
Regarding monitoring, inspection and control of fishing vessel activities at sea, up to now, 97.65% (28,797/29,489 fishing vessels) have installed voyage monitoring equipment (VMS) on fishing vessels with a length of 15 meters or more (28,797/29,489 fishing vessels).
Regarding law enforcement and handling of violations, law enforcement forces at sea (Navy, Coast Guard, Fisheries Surveillance) patrol, inspect, and control in bordering and overlapping sea areas, and key areas to prevent and handle fishing vessels that commit violations.
Many solutions contribute to removing the EC's "yellow card"
Quang Binh is a locality with a long coastline, the number of workers participating in fishing is 24,100 people with an annual output of over 76,000 tons. To disseminate regulations on combating IUU fishing to fishermen, Quang Binh province has established a Steering Committee on combating IUU fishing.
Every month and quarter, the Steering Committee against IUU fishing holds meetings with all relevant sectors and localities, and at the same time organizes to remove obstacles and difficulties.
Up to now, all fishing boat owners in Quang Binh have strictly complied with the regulations on combating IUU fishing: fishing boats under 6m must be registered in the fishing boat registration book of the commune/ward; fishing boats 6m or more must have a fishing boat registration certificate, fishing license, crew list, etc.
From the beginning of 2023 to September 13, 2023, the number of fishing vessels illegally operating in foreign waters that were seized and handled decreased by 84.35% compared to 2016; of which, fishing vessels violating the laws of Pacific countries and island nations from 2018 to present have been stopped and terminated.
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