Phu Yen (VNA) – Measures to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and preparations for the upcoming inspection by the European Commission (EC) were discussed at a conference organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in the south-central coastal province of Phu Yen on February 27.
According to Vu Duyen Hai, Deputy Director of the Department of Fisheries under the MARD, localities in the central region have demonstrated strong political commitment and strictly implemented the directions of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, the Government, and the Prime Minister, in addressing IUU fishing violations.
After four on-site inspections by the EC, many localities have made progress in implementing related recommendations. Fishing vessels at high risk of violating regulations are listed for monitoring, he said.
Hai noted that law enforcement efforts have been strengthened, with local authorities taking firm action against violations, including fishing in foreign waters, vessels' disconnection from the vessel monitoring system (VMS), improper unloading of seafood, and failure to display registration numbers.
According to Nguyen Thi Trang Nhung, Head of the Division of Science, Technology and International Cooperation under the MARD’s Fisheries Surveillance Department, local authorities should focus on key issues, including monitoring violations in foreign waters, tracking and inspecting fishing vessels, controlling seafood output at ports, overseeing fishing activities at sea, managing raw materials and traceability of seafood.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, who is also deputy head of the National Steering Committee for IUU Fishing Prevention and Control, hailed collective efforts to speed up the transition from traditional fishery management to modern fishery, saying that this initiative has recorded positive achievements.
Lifting the EC's "yellow card" imposed on Vietnamese seafood will help promote seafood exports and increase product value, contributing to the nation’s GDP growth, Tien said, urging localities and fishermen to take concrete actions to achieve this goal as soon as possible./.
