Coast Guard ships accompany fishermen to fight IUU fishing

Coast Guard ship 4034 of Coast Guard Region 3 steadfastly sticks to the sea border area of ​​Vietnam - Indonesia - Malaysia, carrying out a peak campaign against IUU fishing, spreading the message "For a responsible fishing industry - For the image of a prestigious Vietnam on the sea".

Coast Guard Ship 4034 performs duties at sea

Persistently stick to the sea, proactively prevent

From November 6 to 10, despite being affected by the circulation of storm No. 13, the working delegation led by Colonel Le Van Tu, Party Secretary and Political Commissar of Coast Guard Region 3, still left the port, overcame the storm and went to the field to inspect the leadership and direction of the Party Committee, the Front Command, along with the coast guard ships and the coordinating forces to carry out the task of preventing and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the waters bordering Vietnam - Indonesia - Malaysia.

Colonel Le Van Tu inspected the forward command post.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duc Tuyen, Commander of the Forward Command Center, said: In recent times, the security and order situation in the sea area under the unit's responsibility has been basically stable, with no Vietnamese fishing boats being arrested for illegally crossing the border. On average, there are 80-130 fishing boats operating in this area every day, mainly west of the demarcation line.

"The authorities always coordinate closely, combine propaganda, supervision and inspection so that fishermen clearly understand and strictly comply with regulations on preventing and combating IUU fishing," said Senior Colonel Tuyen.

Colonel Le Van Tu personally boarded the fishing boat to propagate to the fishermen.

Since the beginning of the peak period, the Command of Coast Guard Region 3 has directly communicated with more than 3,300 fishermen on 312 ships, distributed more than 1,000 leaflets, presented 273 national flags and mobilized fishermen to sign a commitment not to violate IUU.

In addition, the authorities discovered and handled 54 violations with a total fine of more than VND584 million, mainly due to lack of exploitation license or captains and crew members lacking professional certificates.

On each voyage, the working group often stops the ship, approaches and directly boards the fishing boats to inspect, guide and propagate. The content focuses on key points: Absolutely do not encroach on foreign waters, maintain the voyage monitoring device (VMS) operating 24/24 hours, record logs and report full catch output, do not use prohibited fishing gear.

Checking documents on fishing boats of fishermen

In the hot noon at sea, the fishing boat of fisherman Nguyen Van Quan (45 years old, Long Dien commune, Ho Chi Minh City) was pulling the net while welcoming the coast guard delegation to give propaganda. Mr. Quan shared: "The coast guard officers came to the boat, showed each regulation, instructed how to keep a log, turned on the journey monitoring device... so the fishermen easily understood, followed the regulations correctly, and felt secure in fishing, without worrying about being fined or caught by foreigners."

Similarly, fisherman Le Van Hoa ( Lam Dong ) also said: “They gave flags, leaflets, and made it clear that keeping a log and turning on the monitoring device is to protect yourself. Any boat that turns off the monitoring device and gets caught will suffer for both the owner and the boat crew. Now everyone tries to comply, because they know that doing the right thing is to protect the sea and the profession for their children and grandchildren.”

The fishermen's simple sharing is a vivid demonstration of the effectiveness of direct propaganda - a method identified by the coast guard as "close to the people, for the people".

The working delegation presented gifts and national flags to fishermen.

Propaganda combined with strict handling

Speaking to reporters, Colonel Le Van Tu, Political Commissar of the Coast Guard Region 3 Command, emphasized: “This peak period is being deployed synchronously both at sea and on land. We identify propaganda as the core task, and strict handling is a drastic solution. The two factors must be closely combined to thoroughly prevent IUU violations.”

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Each working trip of the Coast Guard is not only a patrol and inspection mission, but also a journey to "sow knowledge - build trust" for fishermen. When people understand the law and the value of sustainable fishing, they will voluntarily comply, contributing to protecting the reputation of the Vietnamese seafood industry - especially in the context of the whole country's efforts to remove the "yellow card" of the European Commission (EC).

Colonel Le Van Tu, Political Commissar of Coast Guard Region 3 Command

Hanging the national flag with fishermen

Along with patrolling, the Coast Guard Region 3 Command has implemented many creative mass mobilization programs with strong influence such as: Coast Guard accompanies fishermen, Fishermen say no to IUU fishing, or the contest "I love the sea and islands of my homeland". These programs not only help fishermen understand the law, but also increase the bond between the Coast Guard and coastal residents.

Along with propaganda work, the Coast Guard Region 3 Command always closely coordinates with the Navy, Border Guard, Police, and Fisheries Sub-Departments of localities to strengthen monitoring, inspection, detection, and strict handling of violations. Thanks to that, the number of fishing vessels crossing the boundaries of foreign waters has decreased significantly; fishermen are increasingly raising their awareness of compliance, proactively turning on journey monitoring devices, recording fishing logs, and complying with regulations when going to sea.

Video : Coast Guard ship performs anti-IUU fishing mission

Preventing and combating IUU fishing is not only an immediate task to quickly remove the “yellow card” from the European Commission (EC), but also a long-term commitment of Vietnam in protecting marine resources and sustainable development.

Each fisherman and each ship that strictly abides by the law is a "living milestone" at sea, contributing to affirming and building the image of a civilized, responsible, peaceful and resilient Vietnam on the sacred seas of the Fatherland.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/nhung-chuyen-tau-canh-sat-bien-dong-hanh-cung-ngu-dan-chong-khai-hac-iuu-402196.html