Deputy PM asked for stronger efforts in combating illegal fishing
Ba
Ria – Vung Tau (VNA) - Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang chaired
the 8th meeting of the
National Steering Committee on Illegal,
Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Prevention and Control in the
southern coastal province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau on December 13.
The meeting
was connected to the headquarters of the People's Committees of 28 coastal provinces and cities
nationwide, and relevant ministries and agencies.
In his speech, the Deputy PM stressed that this is a crucial
moment for Vietnam to have the European Commission (EC)'s "yellow card" lifted, therefore, it is imperative for localities and relevant
ministries and sectors to join hands and take more drastic measures to fix limitations and shortcomings related to IUU fishing.
He demanded relevant ministries, sectors and localities to
coordinate effectively to pool all human and material resources to promptly have the "yellow card" against Vietnamese seafood removed.
Law enforcement agencies at sea were required to intensify patrols
and strict inspections to prevent fishing
vessels from violating foreign waters. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security was
tasked with urgently investigating and prosecuting cases involved in brokerage to lure Vietnamese vessels and fishermen to illegal fishing in foreign waters.
Addressing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development Phung Duc Tien said Vietnam has been fighting illegal
fishing for over six years. The goal is to have the EC’s yellow card warning removed. At the fourth inspection conducted by the commission in October this year, the organisation
recognised and
appreciated Vietnam's performance in combating IUU fishing.
The EC has recommended Vietnam enhance measures for detecting,
preventing, and prosecuting violators related to illegal fishing in foreign
waters, especially those who intentionally disconnect their vessel monitoring systems (VMS) near the boundaries of the Exclusive Economic Zone.
The commission also asked for tighter control to ensure that all deregistered fishing
vessels are not allowed to engage in fishing activities, and guarantee the accuracy
of the information on fishing vessels on the National Fisheries Database (VNFishbase),
he said. Vietnam was requested to continue building a master plan for sustainable fisheries development in the period to 2050.
The EC also urged Vietnam to keep close control of and
investigate fishing
ports involved in the confirmation and certification of the
origin of aquatic products, he said.
Participants underlined the need to boost coordination among localities in controlling the fleet of fishing boats, including the number of
vessels, their registration, operational licences, and VMS installation.
They called for stricter solutions and stronger efforts to prevent
fishing ships from violating foreign waters, and strict control of the certification
of the origin of aquatic products, the imported materials for processing
aquatic products.
On
the same day morning, Deputy PM Quang made an inspection trip to Cat Lo fishing
port in Vung Tau city./.