Women in a fishing village in Ha Tinh province sort their catches before bringing them to market (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The EuropeanCommission (EC) has taken note of Vietnam’s efforts in addressing illegal,unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and its inspectors will return toVietnam in January next year to review progress in addressing its ‘yellow card’warning.
The information was released by Vietnam’sMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development on June 26. The ministry said ithas just received response from the EC on the outcomes of its field inspection inVietnam from May 15-24.
The agriculture ministry said despiteconsiderable achievements, Vietnam still struggles with IUU issue, especiallyin controlling fishing activities and origin of fishing catches.
Currently, the country has some 110,000active fishing vessels, with around 33,000 of them operating in offshore areas,but only 3,000 of them are equipped with Movimar satellite geo-positioningdevices.
Vietnam authorities have admitted that thecountry lacks the budget to fit all fishing vessels with proper trackingequipment. Vietnam authorities also said that despite the country’s integrationof EC’s recommendations into its 2017 fisheries law as well as other legaldocuments, regulations are lacking at local level.
The EC issued the "yellow card" againstVietnamese aquaculture products on October 23 last year.
The "yellow card" is followed bya "green card" if IUU issue is resolved or a "red card" ifit isn’t. A “red card” can lead to a complete trade ban on fishery products.
EC also offered Vietnam ninerecommendations included revision of the legal framework to ensure compliancewith international and regional rules applicable to the conservation andmanagement of fisheries resources, ensuring the effective implementation andenforcement of the country’s revised laws, and strengthening the effectiveimplementation of international rules and management measures.-VNA
