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Vietnamese gov’t and local authorities in 2023 are working to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in efforts to revoke the ‘yellow card’ given by the European Commission (EC) (Photo: SGGP) |
According to the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, in 2022, there were 81 counts of fishing vessels trespassing into foreign waters involving 101 ships and 959 people. Another six counts were reported in the first 3 months of 2023. Currently, four percent of fishing vessels across the country have not been fitted with vessel monitoring system (VMS) devices and remain a high-risk factor.
Since EC is visiting for the fourth time at the end of May 2023 to inspect Vietnam’s efforts in IUU policies implementation, it is essential to closely monitor fishing boats and trace the source of fisherman’s hauls, said Deputy Minister Tien.
He also told the press that the EC has confirmed the Vietnamese fishing industry is on the right track on combating illegal fishing; however, there are still big obstacles to overcome to complete the revocation.
Many localities have been working to raise awareness among local fishermen and allocate resources to monitor fishing activities. Quy Nhon fishing port in Binh Dinh has officers on duty to process documents for fishing vessels coming in and out of ports.
Da Nang City since 2019 has sponsored VMS devices for fishing boats, said Deputy Director of the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. 560 fishing vessels of 494 boat owners have collectively received sponsorships of VND18 billion (about US$767,000) for VMS installation. The city also distributed 2,000 fishing manuals and 1,500 leaflets on IUU regulations.
In Kien Giang, local authorities also assign officers at fishing ports to trace the origin of catches and unloading at Tac Cau and An Thoi fishing ports. The locality currently monitors 3,642 fishing vessels up to 15m and above in length equipped with VMS.
The Directorate of Fisheries will maintain 35 to 41 patrol boats at the borders and overlapping sea territories, review dossiers of certification of aquatic origin, establish unions in Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa to combat IUU fishing, and more to plan for the meeting with EC.
Meanwhile, Binh Dinh Province has run trials on electronic diaries for 100 fishing vessels, and Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province plans to collaborate with the Coast Guard, navy and border guard to supervise fishing boats’ activities.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang recently signed Decision No. 81/QD-TTg requiring regulations on coordination among localities to control all fishing boats in the respective provinces, ensuring vessels over 15-meters long must dock at the designated port with a one-hour notice and sufficient fishing logs.
The director of the Fisheries Control Department said that, in order to achieve the above goals, from now to May, relevant ministries, departments and localities must account for the registration and licensing of all local fishing boats, and update their data into the National Fisheries Database VNFishbase. More importantly, authorities must forcibly terminate operations with vessels fishing illegally in foreign waters.
