Strengthening management solutions to combat IUU fishing violations onshore and at sea

Chairing the conference from Hanoi was comrade Tran Luu Quang - Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister; also attending were representatives of ministries, branches, members of the National IUU Steering Committee and 28 coastal provinces and cities.

From Nghe An bridge, comrade Nguyen Van De - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee chaired the conference. Also attending the conference were representatives of relevant departments, localities and coastal border control stations.

The situation of IUU fishing is still complicated.

Overview of the conference on implementing solutions to combat IUU fishing to remove the yellow card from Nghe An bridge. Photo: Nguyen Hai

At the beginning of the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, in his opening remarks, reminded ministries, branches and localities: from now until the 4th inspection team of the European Commission EC arrives in Vietnam, there is only more than 1 month left and the situation of IUU fishing in localities is still complicated, fishing vessels violating foreign waters still exist; the European Parliament is about to enter a new term with many changes in personnel. Therefore, this is a precious time and the only opportunity for Vietnam to remove the EC yellow card this year.

Comrade Nguyen Van De - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Provincial IUU Steering Committee chaired the conference at Nghe An bridge. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Specifically, according to the report of the National IUU Steering Committee, from 2017 to now, the EC has organized 3 field inspections in Vietnam in May 2018, November 2019 and October 2022. Based on the EC's recommendations, localities have implemented solutions to tighten management and licensing of fishing and have created positive changes.

However, according to the EC, at the time of inspection, if there is still one Vietnamese fishing vessel illegally fishing in foreign waters, the yellow card will not be removed. Currently, the situation of losing the VMS connection signal on fishing vessels while fishing is still common. In the past two years, although the authorities have taken drastic measures and the number of vessels being fined and prosecuted has increased, in the first 8 months of the year, the whole country still had 39 cases with 252 fishermen fishing in foreign waters being arrested by foreign countries; fleet management is still lax, compliance with regulations on designated ports and traceability of caught seafood is still limited.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, on behalf of the Standing Office of the IUU Steering Committee, reported on the results of IUU fishing monitoring in the first 8 months of 2023. Photo: NH

At the conference, representatives of ministries and branches who are members of the National IUU Steering Committee and some coastal localities reported on the implementation of measures to combat illegal IUU fishing, the results of propaganda and combat measures... The reason is that Vietnam's fishing fleet is still large and fishing force is strong, so aquatic resources are declining, causing fishermen to have to go to foreign waters to fish for a living...

Strengthening advocacy and monitoring of IUU onshore and offshore

From the reality of law enforcement in localities, representatives of Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, which are localities that have recently had fishing boats detained by foreign countries, stated that the onshore solutions have been implemented by almost all localities; the rest are just management and handling measures at sea, how to change fishermen's awareness to comply well when going to sea to fish...

Representatives of the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, representing provinces with fishermen violating regulations for illegal fishing in foreign waters, reported. Photo: Nguyen Hai

At the conference, representatives of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Processors (VASEP) reported on recommendations and impacts of the EC's yellow card removal on Vietnam or vice versa, scenarios and situations in which the EC does not remove the yellow card for Vietnamese seafood, or even receives a red card.

Accordingly, seafood exports will bring Vietnam 11 billion USD in 2022, so whether the yellow card is removed or not will have great impacts and influences on our country's seafood import and export in the coming time.

Representative of Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) reports and makes recommendations. Photo: Nguyen Hai

In Nghe An, from the beginning of 2023 to now, the whole province has had 11,702 fishing vessels lost connection at sea, of which 370 vessels lost connection for more than 10 days; and 108 fishing vessels crossed the permitted boundary at sea. Through patrolling and controlling, from the beginning of 2023 to now, the Provincial Border Guard has fined 9 fishing vessel owners VND 215 million; other forces have fined 95 vessels VND 501.7 million.

Fisheries control forces approach a fishing boat in the offshore area to check its fishing license. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Concluding the working session, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang shared the efforts and difficulties of localities and ministries that have actively and resolutely taken part in removing the EC yellow card in recent times. On the basis of reiterating the impacts and influences of the EC yellow card on the national position, the Deputy Prime Minister requested ministries and localities to continue to resolutely take part in propaganda and mobilization, together with the entire political system, to remove the EC yellow card this year.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang concluded the working session. Photo: Nguyen Hai

In the coming time, ministries and localities need to develop a concise plan, if necessary, establish a special working group chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to deploy synchronous solutions, promptly and transparently handle arising issues; request localities to preside over coordination between localities and functional forces in inspecting and monitoring the number of ships; manage and inspect from shore to offshore./.

Source: https://baonghean.vn/tang-cuong-cac-giai-phap-quan-ly-chong-danh-bat-vi-pham-iuu-tren-bo-va-ngoai-bien-post275537.html