Implement urgent, focused solutions on IUU

Implement urgent and key solutions from now until April 30, 2024

In the above announcement, the Deputy Prime Minister acknowledged the efforts of central and local ministries, branches and sectors in implementing tasks and solutions to combat IUU fishing, overcoming shortcomings and limitations pointed out by the 4th Inspection Delegation of the European Commission (EC); highly appreciated and commended Kien Giang province as the first province to conduct a trial of the case of brokerage and collusion to bring fishing vessels and fishermen to illegally exploit in foreign waters, ensuring the strictness of the law.

However, in general, up to now, in some localities, there are still many shortcomings and limitations that are slow to be overcome, and progress has not been ensured according to the direction of the Prime Minister , Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU, such as: the situation of fishing vessels and fishermen illegally exploiting in foreign waters continues to occur, with complicated developments; the control, confirmation, certification and traceability of exploited aquatic products are not effective; the management and control of "3 no" fishing vessels have not been able to be managed and controlled; local authorities and functional forces have not fully performed their duties and responsibilities in investigating, verifying and sanctioning IUU fishing acts such as illegal fishing in foreign waters, disconnecting or sending, illegally transporting VMS equipment, violating the Fishing Logbook, fishing vessels operating in the wrong area... leading to very limited results, not being consistent between localities, not ensuring the strictness of the law.

The 5th inspection (scheduled for April 2024) is the decisive time to remove the EC's "Yellow Card" warning in 2024. Therefore, the Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministers, Heads of relevant ministries and agencies and Chairmen of the People's Committees of 28 coastal provinces and centrally run cities to focus on leading and directing the resolution of current shortcomings and limitations; focusing on implementing urgent and key tasks and solutions from now until April 30, 2024.

Bringing to trial cases of collusion in sending fishing vessels to illegally exploit in foreign waters

Specifically, the Deputy Prime Minister requested ministries, sectors, People's Committees of coastal provinces and centrally run cities to focus on mobilizing resources to synchronously deploy tasks and solutions to combat IUU fishing in accordance with the direction of the Standing Secretariat, the Government , the Prime Minister (especially Official Dispatch No. 1058/CD-TTg dated November 4, 2023), the conclusions of the Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU and other relevant documents; absolutely not to be negligent or subjective; resolutely handle organizations and individuals who do not fulfill their assigned duties and tasks in performing their official duties, violate the provisions of the law, affecting the common efforts to remove the "Yellow Card" of the whole country; promptly encourage, reward and encourage typical examples in combating IUU fishing; Focus on implementing effective solutions, determined to achieve the goal that by April 2024, there will be no more cases of Vietnamese fishing vessels illegally exploiting seafood in foreign waters; simultaneously investigate and bring to trial cases of law violations related to brokerage and collusion to bring fishing vessels and fishermen to illegally exploit in foreign waters similar to the case tried in Kien Giang province to deter and propagate.

Continue to organize working groups to guide localities in combating IUU fishing.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development continues to organize working groups to inspect, urge and guide localities in implementing the task of combating IUU fishing; report to the Prime Minister on the implementation results, and propose strict handling of responsibilities for localities that fail to fulfill the duties and tasks assigned by the Prime Minister.

At the same time, preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security, the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province and relevant parties to urgently and thoroughly handle 01 violating imported vessel as pointed out by the EC according to domestic laws and international practices. Assign the Director of the Department of Fisheries Surveillance to head the delegation to work with Khanh Hoa province to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the Havuco-02 vessel according to the signs detected by the EC to promptly propose a handling plan and provide the results to the EC.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinates with localities to resolutely implement appropriate solutions to manage and control the output of locally exploited aquatic products, ensuring traceability and creating favorable conditions for fishermen's exploitation activities; resolutely and strictly handle cases of intentional violations; preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies to study cooperation with other countries to organize the sending of Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen to legally exploit seafood in foreign waters.

Implement peak control of fishing vessels entering and leaving port

The Ministry of National Defense shall preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Public Security and the People's Committees of coastal provinces and centrally run cities to continue to comprehensively and synchronously implement measures to prevent and put an end to illegal fishing vessels and fishermen in foreign waters.

Continue to carry out peak patrols, inspections and controls in sea areas bordering Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, etc.

Arrange sufficient forces for coastal border posts and stations to carry out peak control of fishing vessels entering and leaving ports; patrol, inspect and control at river mouths, seaports and islands; pay special attention to logistics service vessels for fishing aquatic resources and focus on key areas of Kien Giang and Ca Mau provinces.

The Ministry of National Defense shall preside over and coordinate with local authorities to strengthen propaganda and mobilization work in various forms and to various subjects to further raise people's awareness of law observance; resolutely combat and thoroughly handle violations.

Ensure 100% monitoring of caught aquatic products

The Ministry of Public Security has focused on investigating and prosecuting cases of law violations related to brokerage and collusion in sending fishing vessels and fishermen to illegally exploit in foreign waters, similar to the case tried in Kien Giang province.

Direct the police forces and the police of 28 coastal localities to deploy forces to focus on grasping the situation, deploying professional measures, reconnaissance, advising the Provincial Steering Committee for IUU Prevention and Control to direct competent agencies to strictly control fishing vessels inside and outside the locality operating in the area; ensure 100% monitoring of the catch, thereby detecting acts of exploitation that violate the provisions of the Law on Fisheries and violations of IUU exploitation.

At the same time, the Ministry of Public Security urgently investigates and prosecutes organizations and individuals who commit acts of falsifying state agency documents to legalize records of aquatic products violating IUU fishing for export to the European market; proactively grasps the situation, investigates and handles violations against fishing vessels that intentionally do not return to shore, and logistics service vessels that exploit aquatic resources.

Chairmen of People's Committees of coastal provinces and centrally run cities focus on leading, directing, allocating sufficient resources, clearly assigning responsibilities to local agencies and functional forces to thoroughly resolve existing problems and limitations, ensuring specific data and results, and simultaneously and strictly handling IUU fishing activities in the locality; focusing on implementing the following tasks:

- Continue to strengthen propaganda and mobilization work in various forms and to various audiences to further raise people's awareness of law compliance; focusing on key areas to thoroughly apply measures right from shore to promptly detect early and from afar, resolutely prevent fishing vessels and fishermen from illegally exploiting in foreign waters.

- Provinces with fishing vessels detained and handled by foreign countries such as Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Binh Dinh, Ben Tre, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa... urgently investigate and thoroughly handle cases of illegal fishing in foreign waters from the beginning of 2023 until now.

- Investigate, verify, and thoroughly handle violations of VMS disconnection, illegal sending and transportation of VMS equipment from the beginning of 2023 to present.

- Implement a peak of law enforcement, patrolling, inspecting and controlling fishing vessel activities at sea, at ports, at river mouths, seaports and islands in the area (including fishing vessels from other provinces operating in the area); pay special attention to logistics service vessels for catching aquatic resources.

- Make a list of private and traditional fishing ports and wharves; closely monitor the output of locally exploited aquatic products to ensure traceability and facilitate fishing activities of fishermen; resolutely and strictly handle violations of intentionally not entering the port to unload exploited aquatic products to avoid control by authorities.

- Ensure that fishing vessels participating in fishing activities must turn on the VMS device 24/7 according to regulations from the time they leave the port until they arrive at the port, verify and handle 100% of fishing vessels that violate the VMS disconnection regulations (6 hours without reporting location, not returning the fishing vessel to shore for more than 10 days), and exceed the permitted boundaries at sea.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the Vietnam Tuna Association, and seafood exporting enterprises must be responsible for strictly complying with regulations against IUU fishing, and absolutely not purchasing, processing, or exporting seafood products that violate IUU fishing.

Fisheries associations, unions, and seafood exporting enterprises actively accompany, join hands, and coordinate with functional agencies to strictly handle seafood enterprises that operate illegally, legalize documents, and assist and condone IUU fishing.

Ministries, sectors and localities should further strengthen information, communication, propaganda and training activities on legal regulations on combating IUU fishing; widely and regularly publicize cases of IUU fishing violations that are handled on the media for deterrence and education.

Before March 31, 2024, ministries, branches and localities shall report implementation results to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for synthesis and reporting to the Prime Minister and Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall preside over and coordinate with ministries, branches and localities to effectively implement programs, projects and plans and continue to research and propose solutions to ensure sustainable, responsible and internationally integrated fisheries development./.

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