Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Chau said the provincial authorities issued 13 documents, while the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued 16 documents, taking urgent measures to address the warning.
The provincial People’s Committee held six meetings with departments and localities to deal with the issue, he said, expressing his hope that EC will lift its “yellow card” warning on Vietnamese seafood on January 1, 2019.
Phan Trong Ho, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province withdrew seafood exploitation licences, as well as removed registrations of fishing vessels found to have commit violations and announced them on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s online portal and local radio stations.
The provincial authorities also reviewed the responsibility of leaders of the communal Hoai Nhon and Phu Cat district People’s Committees for violations. Binh Dinh has improved its management and inspection capacity to fight IUU at seaports, as well as completed a project on the establishment of a local Fisheries Surveillance Agency, which is scheduled to be put into operation later this year, he said.
Gabriel, for his part, said that nearly half local fishing vessels go fishing offshore, adding that in order to fight IUU fishing effectively, strong commitments from the fishing community and management agencies are needed.
European parliamentarians lauded Vietnam’s progress in legal reform to respond to the warning.
The same day, the delegation paid working trips to Quy Nhon seaport, Binh Dinh fishery JSC, and Binh Dinh Tuna Association.
