Khanh Hoa (VNA) – The south central province of Khanh Hoa has identified the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as a long-term task, aimed not only at having the European Commission (EC) lift its “yellow card” warning but also at building a modern, responsible and sustainable fisheries sector, said Nguyen Trong Chanh, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment.
According to the department, as of the end of June, 99.9% of eligible fishing vessels in the province had been issued fishing licences, while 100% of vessels measuring 15 metres or more had been fitted with vessel monitoring system (VMS) devices and all vessels had been marked and numbered in accordance with regulations. The province has also reduced the number of vessels at high risk of IUU violations, as well as the number of vessels ineligible for operation, following a comprehensive review.
At fishing ports, the digitalisation of fishing vessel management has continued to gather pace. In June, more than 99% of vessels arriving at ports and nearly 100% of those departing reported their movements through the electronic catch traceability system (eCDT). All 6,252 tonnes of seafood landed at the ports were recorded in the system, with catch origin certification also carried out electronically, facilitating traceability for export purposes. Fisheries surveillance forces, border guards and local authorities have also stepped up patrols at sea.
Chanh said that in the coming period, the province would continue to deal definitively with vessels ineligible for operation, tighten controls over vessels entering and leaving ports, improve the effectiveness of VMS monitoring, accelerate digital transformation in catch traceability, and take firm action against violations.
Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Trinh Minh Hoang affirmed that having the “yellow card” warning lifted was not merely about maintaining seafood export markets, but also represented an opportunity to restructure the fisheries sector towards greater modernisation, transparency and responsibility.
The province has instructed local authorities and relevant forces to strictly adhere to the principle of no restricted areas and no exceptions in handling violations, resolutely preventing fishing vessels from illegally entering foreign waters and definitively addressing cases of VMS disconnection.
According to the assessment by the EC inspection team during its fifth inspection, Khanh Hoa was among the localities that had made significant progress in managing its fishing fleet, operating the vessel monitoring system, controlling vessels entering and leaving ports, and tracing seafood origins. However, the EC also asked the province to continue definitively dealing with high-risk vessels, improve the effectiveness of law enforcement and sustain the progress achieved./.
VNA
