Strictly handle violations and tightly control fishing vessel activities at sea.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that after more than 5 years of being warned with a "yellow card", the results of combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing have changed significantly.

Ngư dân Ninh Thuận nâng cao ý thức chấp hành pháp luật trong khai thác thủy sản, khắc phục ‘thẻ vàng’ IUU. (Ảnh: TX)

Vietnam is determined to remove the IUU 'yellow card' on seafood exports. (Photo: TX)

Continuing to implement the recommendations of the European Commission (EC), the agricultural sector will coordinate with localities to tighten the management of fishing vessels, ensuring that fishing vessels operate in accordance with the conditions, exploit the right areas, and ensure complete and quality fishing logs.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the number of fishing vessels and fishing capacity has been reduced by nearly 10,000 vessels compared to 2019. The industry is continuing to review and adjust fishing quotas. The National Fisheries Database (VNFishbase) has been deployed in 31 relevant localities.

Currently, the rate of fishing vessels with a length of 6m or more updated on VNFishbase software is 82.7%. Fishing vessels with a length of 15m or more that have been installed with a vehicle monitoring system (VMS) is 97.7%.

For fishing vessels that have not been installed, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued a document requesting localities to review each case, state the reasons, assign the unit to strictly manage and periodically report to the Ministry. Up to now, localities have reported the causes and closely managed and monitored.

Managing and monitoring fishing vessels nationwide, Mr. Ha Le, Director of the Fisheries Information Center, Department of Fisheries, said that the Center has organized on-call operations to ensure the 24/7 operation of the Fishing Vessel Monitoring System.

Through monitoring and supervision, the center still detects cases of fishing boats losing connection frequently, losing connection for more than 10 days at sea. The center has promptly informed relevant agencies and units to verify and handle the situation.

From the beginning of the year to the end of July, the Fisheries Information Center has detected and notified localities of over 240 vessels (vessels 24m or larger) that lost connection for more than 10 days at sea. From this information, localities have also actively coordinated to inform specific cases.

Along with issuing warnings, reminders and requiring fishermen to sign a commitment not to re-offend, localities also imposed administrative fines of over 3.8 billion VND such as: Hai Phong, Quang Nam, Ben Tre , Kien Giang, Ca Mau. However, there are still cases where the Fisheries Information Center did not receive feedback from localities such as: Quang Ninh, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Phu Yen...

According to Mr. Ha Le, the number of fishing vessels that have lost connection at sea for more than 6 hours a day and fishing vessels that have lost connection for more than 10 days at sea has tended to decrease compared to the same period last year. Localities have also been more active in handling administrative violations against vessels that have lost connection for more than 10 days.

However, the rate of administrative violations is still low (about 5%). Most cases are only handled at the level of warning, reminder, and commitment not to repeat the offense.

To minimize the situation of fishing vessels losing connection, Mr. Ha Le suggested that localities need to increase propaganda, inspection, supervision and handling of administrative violations. In particular, strictly handle fishing vessels violating VMS regulations as a deterrent.

Management forces at seaports (fishing ports, border guards) need to closely monitor the sealing of equipment before entering/leaving the port. Absolutely do not allow ships to set sail without maintaining equipment operation.

Cases of vessels showing signs of violating VMS regulations upon receiving information from the Department of Fisheries must be thoroughly handled and periodically reported according to regulations. Fishing ports, representative offices for inspection, examination and control must use the Fishing Vessel Monitoring System to effectively control port entry and exit, trace origin and handle violations.

In order to closely monitor fishing vessels at sea, and at the same time ensure good preparation for receiving and working with the 4th EC Inspection Delegation in October 2023 with the determination to remove the "yellow card" warning, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung, Director of the Department of Fisheries Surveillance, requested localities to continue to seriously implement the instructions of the Prime Minister; Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU. Localities need to arrange enough staff with capacity, qualifications, and sense of responsibility to perform the work and have appropriate mechanisms, policies, and remuneration regimes.

Localities must take strong and resolute measures to prevent fishing vessels from illegally exploiting seafood in foreign waters from now on. At the same time, they must strictly control fishing vessels entering and leaving ports, monitor output, and comply with regulations on product confirmation, certification, and traceability.

Decree No. 42/2019/ND-CP on administrative sanctions for violations in the fisheries sector has very specific regulations. Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung suggested that localities need to focus on investigating, verifying, and thoroughly handling violations according to the provisions of the decree.

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