Sydney (VNA) – Australia imposes severe penalties against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, such as confiscating catches and involved vessels, an Australian expert has said.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency's reporters in Australia, Prof. Stuart Kaye, Director of the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security at the University of Wollongong, shared Australia’s experience in the fight against IUU fishing, saying that his country attaches importance to combating IUU fishing.
Australia does not have specific regulations for detaining individuals engaged in illegal fishing within its territorial waters, but individuals may be detained by immigration authorities pending the outcome of legal proceeding against them, he noted.
Australia proactively collaborates with other countries in the Indo-Pacific to support their efforts against IUU fishing, he said, adding that the country prioritises sustainability in managing its fish stocks.
In addition, Australia has allocated significant resources not only to monitor its waters but also to take enforcement actions against vessels suspected of engaging in IUU fishing, he revealed.
Australia and Vietnam have cooperated in preventing IUU fishing through various frameworks, such as the Regional Plan of Action to Promote Sustainable Fishing including IUU Fishing; the Vietnam-Australia MoU to Combat Illegal Fishing; and Australia's regional programme Combating IUU Fishing and Promoting Sustainable Fisheries in Southeast Asia, which will provide opportunities for Vietnam to access capacity building support for monitoring, control and surveillance officers, according to Associate Prof. Camille Goodman also from the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security at the University of Wollongong./.
