More than six years have passed since the European Commission (EC) officially issued a "yellow card" to Vietnam in the field of seafood exploitation for violating IUU principles, a program against "illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing." During this time, the agricultural sector has seen many positive changes. However, combating IUU fishing is a long-term endeavor, not just a matter of responding to the EC's upcoming inspection.
In May 2017, an EC delegation visited Vietnam to inspect compliance with EC regulations on IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing. Following the inspection, the delegation issued five recommendations, requiring Vietnam to complete its management institutional framework by September 30, 2017; manage its fishing fleet in accordance with available resources; improve its system for inspecting and monitoring fishing vessels at sea and in ports; verify and certify the origin of seafood raw materials; and prevent and stop Vietnamese fishing vessels from engaging in illegal fishing in foreign waters.
However, improvements to the recommendations could not be completed at that time. Even now, after 7 years and 4 inspection visits by the EC, Vietnam has still not been able to have the "yellow card" lifted (the inspections took place in May 2018; November 2019; October 2022; and October 2023). The EC is expected to conduct a 5th inspection this coming October.
Of the five recommendations from the EC, Vietnam has already completed the institutional management framework. Regarding the other issues, the most important thing to address them is, I believe, to improve the awareness of ship owners and captains through education and communication, as their decisions at sea are the key factors determining whether or not IUU violations occur.
At the meeting of the Binh Thuan Provincial IUU Steering Committee on September 9th, it was reported that from the beginning of the year until now, functional forces and local authorities have imposed administrative penalties on 372 cases with a total fine of nearly 3 billion VND. Of these, the Provincial Border Guard Force imposed penalties in 258 cases/965.55 million VND; specialized agencies (Fisheries Sub-Department, Inspectorate of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) imposed penalties in 75 cases/nearly 1.2 billion VND; and local authorities imposed penalties in 39 cases/792.5 million VND (including 2 cases/188 million VND from the Provincial People's Committee; 18 cases/415.5 million VND from Tuy Phong District; 3 cases/75 million VND from Phan Thiet City; 10 cases/77.5 million VND from La Gi Town; and 6 cases/36.5 million VND from Phu Quy District). It can be seen that the amount of fines for IUU violations increases each year, which means that the number of violations also gradually increases over time. These behaviors stem primarily from the awareness and actions of ship owners and captains.
For example, to date, there are still 228 vessels with a length of 12 meters or more that have not been registered or granted fishing licenses according to Circular 06, and this group of vessels poses a high risk of violating foreign waters. In addition, there are still 1,431 registered fishing vessels that do not have licenses or whose licenses have expired. These include 326 vessels in Tuy Phong; 3 in Bac Binh; 1 in Ham Thuan Bac; 435 in Phan Thiet; 21 in Ham Thuan Nam; 406 in La Gi; 5 in Ham Tan; and 234 in Phu Quy.
Furthermore, the situation of vessels not docking at designated fishing ports to unload seafood as required; the lack of habit among vessel owners and captains in recording and submitting fishing logs and reports on seafood sales; and the operation of unregistered fishing vessels, or those without or with expired fishing licenses, still occur but have not been thoroughly addressed. While efforts have been made to control fishing vessels entering and leaving ports and monitor catch landed, the statistical data is not yet reliable. Currently, only 28,332 tons out of 156,430 tons of the province's total catch have been monitored (only 18.1%).
Since 2017, before each EC inspection, from the central to local levels, everyone has identified this as a "golden opportunity to lift the 'yellow card'," but each time the opportunity has been missed. Will the fisheries sector be able to regain the IUU "green card" this time? The answer remains open, as it depends heavily on all parties involved, the efforts of relevant authorities, and the awareness of fishermen, captains, and those directly involved in fishing at sea.
It must be acknowledged that the EC's regulations on combating IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing are very positive, protecting resources and ensuring the sustainability of the fisheries sector, protecting the environment... and ultimately, ensuring the long-term livelihoods of people who depend on marine fishing. Therefore, at the meeting of the Provincial IUU Steering Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Hai emphasized: "The relevant agencies have created all conditions to disseminate information, support, and assist fishermen and boat owners in registering '3-no' vessels. For cases that do not comply, a list of fishing vessels should be compiled and sent to the relevant authorities in coordination with wards and communes for monitoring, preventing them from leaving port to operate, and severely punishing violators. The goal is to ensure that by September 15th, 100% of the '3-no' vessels (6-12 meters) will have completed registration."
Regardless of whether the IUU "yellow card" is lifted this time or not, ship owners and captains must raise their awareness and comply with regulations in fishing and seafood exploitation, not only for the benefit of the nation and locality, but first and foremost for their own benefit and the sustainable livelihoods of the fishing community. Therefore, combating IUU is a never-ending battle!
Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/chong-khai-thac-iuu-cuoc-chien-khong-ngung-nghi-124022.html
Comment (0)