'If we can't remove the IUU yellow card this year, we have to wait another 3 years'

Prevent and thoroughly handle illegal fishing vessels

On May 21, in Hanoi , Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien chaired a meeting to deploy the fight against IUU fishing.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien inspected anti-IUU fishing in Binh Dinh in March

Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung, Director of the Department of Fisheries Surveillance (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said that this May, the European Commission (EC) inspection team was scheduled to visit Vietnam to inspect the fight against IUU fishing, but then postponed it to September - October.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung, one of the reasons the EC postponed the inspection deadline to remove the IUU "yellow card" is that the Government recently issued Decree No. 37/2024/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 26/2019/ND-CP dated March 8, 2019 detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Fisheries Law and Decree No. 38/2024/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 42/2019/ND-CP dated May 16, 2019 regulating sanctions for administrative violations in the fisheries sector.

Accordingly, the EC wants to consider how effective Vietnam's law enforcement of these two decrees will be.

According to the leader of the Fisheries Surveillance Department, from now until the EC inspection team visits Vietnam, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will propose that Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang chair a meeting to inspect the fight against IUU fishing in localities in June.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has implemented a specific monthly plan for on-site inspections in all coastal provinces and cities on the fight against IUU fishing.

"In order for the EC to remove the IUU 'yellow card' for Vietnam in the upcoming inspection, localities must prevent fishing vessels from violating foreign waters to the maximum extent possible and resolutely and thoroughly handle violating fishing vessels," said Mr. Hung.

"Last chance to remove yellow card"

Directing at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien frankly shared: "I have been to dozens of fishing ports, flipped through each notebook, and many times felt embarrassed with local leaders because I have been there, given instructions, but there has not been any positive change in combating IUU fishing."

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that the rate of handling violations in exploitation is relatively low, according to the Department of Fisheries Surveillance, it is about 10%, which makes the EC believe that the measures that Vietnam has put in place are not deterrent enough.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien requested localities to arrange resources, ensure 24/7 duty; monitor and supervise 100% of fishing vessels with a length of 24 m or more operating at sea through the fishing vessel monitoring system, clearly understand and strictly handle each case of violation of regulations on loss of connection to fishing vessel monitoring equipment.

According to Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, during the working trip to Europe last April, the EC basically focused on four groups of recommendations: perfecting the legal framework; strengthening the management of fishing vessels; controlling the traceability of exploited aquatic products; and handling fishing vessels violating in foreign waters. Accordingly, localities must implement these recommendations well, because the upcoming 5th inspection by the EC is the "last chance", as the European Parliament is about to hold elections.

"If the IUU "yellow card" cannot be removed this time, Vietnam will have to wait about 3 more years to welcome the next inspection team," said Mr. Tien.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to urgently organize a national conference to disseminate Directive 32 of the Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and sustainable development of the fisheries sector, in the spirit of guiding first and reviewing later, and not allowing the situation of "checking forever without knowing where one went wrong".

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khong-go-duoc-the-vang-iuu-nam-nay-phai-cho-them-3-nam-nua-185240521194709162.htm