Inspect and control fishing vessels.
Before each fishing trip, fisherman Nguyen Van Loc, owner of fishing vessel NA 90705 in Dien Bich commune (Dien Chau district), said that for many years, preparing all necessary documents, registering the itinerary, and checking the satellite connectivity equipment for the ship has become a habit, helping the crew members feel secure when going out to sea.
Nguyen Van Trung, a fisherman from Nam Chien Thang hamlet, Dien Bich commune, Dien Chau district, said that fishermen from Dien Bich always comply with legal regulations when fishing at sea and entering and leaving ports. He affirmed that complying with regulations on controlling fishing activities is the only way to lift the "yellow card," and also helps himself and his profession to develop sustainably.
Controlling fishing activities and fishing vessels is one of the six recommendations made by the European Commission (EC) inspection team after its third inspection in October 2022. Specifically, the EC recommended that "further review and adjustments are needed to enhance the effectiveness and tighten management against IUU fishing."
In Nghe An province , measures to prevent and ultimately eliminate violations of regulations on fisheries exploitation by fishing vessels, such as regulations on fishing zones; registration and inspection of fishing vessels; food safety certification for fishing vessels; management and issuance of fishing licenses, etc., have resulted in many positive changes.
According to data from the Fisheries Sub-Department, as of October 18, 2023, the total number of registered fishing vessels in Nghe An province was 2,470, equivalent to 90.91%. In addition to the vessels already listed, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has directed the Fisheries Sub-Department to coordinate with local authorities to disseminate information and guide vessel owners in deregistering vessels that have been burned, sunk, dismantled, are missing, or sold outside the province and have not yet completed the deregistration process. Simultaneously, they are ensuring that vessels whose registration has been deregistered do not participate in fishing activities in the locality.
The number of fishing vessels with valid registration certificates is 1,266 out of 1,653 vessels subject to registration, reaching 76.59% of vessels over 12m in length and 100% of vessels currently in operation. The remaining fishing vessels, accounting for 9.43%, have not yet been issued or renewed their fishing licenses. This is due to reasons such as vessels undergoing registration number changes, vessels purchased from other provinces that have not yet been licensed, vessels whose licenses have expired but have not been renewed because they are docked, awaiting sale, or their vessel tracking devices are not connected.
Regarding the issuance of food safety certificates for fishing vessels, 70 vessels were issued in October 2023 (68 new certificates and 2 renewed certificates). As of October 18, 2023, the number of fishing vessels with valid food safety certificates is 919 out of 1,115 vessels, reaching 82.42% of the total number of vessels requiring certificates. The total number of licensed vessels with valid certificates is 2,237 out of 2,470 vessels, reaching 90.57% of vessels over 6 meters in length and 100% of vessels currently in operation. In addition, in October 2023, the Fisheries Sub-Department revoked 5 fishing licenses for vessels whose registration had been deregistered.
One of the key factors contributing to the removal of the yellow card is the regular and complete updating of fishing vessel data onto the national fisheries database software, VNFishbase. In Nghe An, the total number of fishing vessels that have been updated on the software has reached 100% of the total number of registered fishing vessels.
Maximizing the effectiveness of vessel tracking devices on fishing boats.
One of the important and effective measures to control and help fishermen exploit resources efficiently and in accordance with international regulations is the installation and use of Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) on fishing vessels. Thanks to these devices, authorities can monitor the operating area and ensure that fishing vessels do not violate regulations by fishing in prohibited waters.
In Hoang Mai town, Mr. Ho Huu Tho, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Di ward, Hoang Mai town, said that the Fisheries and Processing Association was established by the locality. Through this association, the government, together with the Quynh Phuong Border Guard station, cooperates in disseminating information and organizing people to sign commitments on IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing.
Furthermore, the Border Guard Force, in coordination with local authorities and relevant agencies, will focus on identifying and classifying high-risk entities that violate foreign waters; strictly controlling fishing vessels departing from ports, preventing unqualified vessels from leaving; severely punishing fishing vessels violating VMS regulations and those violating foreign waters; and addressing violations at fishing ports. This will create a shift in awareness and behavior among fishermen during their work at sea, especially regarding the installation and maintenance of vessel monitoring systems (VMS).
In Nghe An province, as of October 18, 2023, 1,069 out of 1,115 fishing vessels had installed vessel monitoring systems (VMS), reaching 95.87%. To ensure the effectiveness of VMS, functional forces organize 24/7 duty shifts at the shore station of the Fisheries Sub-Department to monitor and inform fishing vessel owners about VMS disconnection, crossing maritime boundaries, and require compliance with legal regulations; compile lists and exchange information between functional forces for coordinated handling.
A large proportion of fishing vessels currently maintain the proper functioning of their vessel monitoring systems (VMS), effectively ensuring compliance with international fishing regulations and maintaining connectivity for guidance and support in emergency situations. However, instances of VMS disconnection still occur.
In October 2023 alone, 1,463 fishing vessels lost VMS connectivity at sea. Of these, 65 vessels were disconnected for more than 10 days at sea, bringing the cumulative total of fishing vessels from Nghe An province that lost VMS connectivity at sea in the first 10 months of 2023 to 14,873.
According to officials from the Fisheries Sub-Department, to minimize this situation, when a connection loss is detected, the duty officer will contact the fishing vessels to remind them and request them to check their equipment. In addition, announcements will be broadcast regularly via the 7918.KHz radio channel. For fishing vessels that have been disconnected for more than 10 days, specific measures will be taken, such as issuing a written warning; requiring the vessel owner to rectify the problem and commit to maintaining the monitoring system in accordance with regulations and complying with other regulations on seafood exploitation. Alternatively, the fishing port may be instructed not to allow fishing vessels to unload seafood or depart until a written explanation is provided clarifying the reason for the connection loss and the required subscription fees for maintaining the monitoring system have been paid.
In addition, the units providing the vessel monitoring system (VMS) are required to check the operational status of the VMS equipment to clarify the reasons why fishing vessels lose connection. To date, 421 out of 427 fishing vessels that have lost VMS connection for more than 10 days have been processed.
Through the vessel monitoring system, it was also detected that in October 2023, 7 fishing vessels crossed the permitted maritime boundary. In the first 10 months of 2023, the number of fishing vessels crossing the permitted maritime boundary was 122, mainly due to fishing grounds being far away, causing fishing vessels to bypass the boundary to save fuel, or some fishing vessels experiencing malfunctions in their navigation equipment or engines, resulting in them drifting across the permitted maritime boundary...
Mr. Tran Nhu Long, Deputy Head of the Fisheries Sub-Department, said that the authorities regularly coordinate with the Border Guard to provide data for handling violations by fishing vessels according to regulations, aiming to put an end to violations of fishing boundaries at sea. This is one of the mandatory requirements to meet the standards for lifting the "yellow card".
Mr. Long emphasized that in the coming period, the Sub-Department will continue to coordinate with relevant agencies and units to vigorously urge and direct the completion of the installation of vessel tracking devices on fishing vessels. They will strictly inspect and control fishing vessels arriving at and departing from ports according to regulations, improve the quality of monitoring the volume of seafood unloaded at ports, and severely punish fishing vessels that do not meet the required conditions. In addition, they will monitor and compile a list of fishing vessels at high risk of violating IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing regulations. They will investigate and penalize 100% of cases of Nghe An fishing vessels violating illegal fishing in foreign waters and publicize this information through mass media. From now until the end of the year, it is necessary to accelerate and be more decisive in preventing violations and addressing shortcomings in order to achieve the goal of "removing the tag" according to the planned schedule.
From October 10th to 18th, 2023, a delegation from the European Commission (EC) visited Vietnam to inspect the situation and results of combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and to address the issue of lifting the yellow card warning against Vietnamese fisheries. This was the fourth inspection by the European Commission in Vietnam. Previously, the delegation conducted its third inspection in October 2022 and issued six recommendations for Vietnam to implement and address in order to meet the criteria for "lifting the card," including:
(1) The situation of Vietnamese fishing vessels violating regulations on fishing in foreign waters continues to occur. (2) Export shipment records at 02 enterprises (T&H, Thinh Hung) are suspected of fraud, lack transparency and legality. (3) The implementation of the PSMA Agreement is still limited in controlling, verifying, and cross-checking information on foreign fishing vessels through VMS and AIS. (4) The legal framework needs to be reviewed and adjusted to enhance effectiveness and tighten management against IUU fishing. (5) Law enforcement and penalties for IUU fishing activities at the local level are still very weak. (6) There is an imbalance between fishing intensity and aquatic resources.”
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