It has been 2 years since Vietnam received a yellow card from the EU and the impacts have been evident. The EU, which was once the second biggest seafood export market for Vietnam, consuming 18 percent of Vietnam’s seafood exports, fell to forth after the warning.
From Nov 5 to 12, the EC Inspection Delegation will be conducting a second inspection of Vietnam’s efforts to combat illegal fishing.
Removing difficulties for fishing vessels under Decree 67 was also brought up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The country has 2,000 fishing vessels in need of upgrades to fish offshore. But so far only 399 ships have registered for the upgrade work. The General Department of Fisheries said that not all fishermen need to register because some choose to fish inland instead of going out to sea.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the implementation of Decree 67 could cause problems, but it will stabilize the sector, aiming at a more sustainable fisheries industry./.
