Fishing vessels off the coast of An Bien district, Kien Giang province (Photo: VNA) Kien Giang (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has intensified concerted measures to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as the fourth working session with the EuropeanCommission’s inspection team is nearing.
ViceChairman of the provincial People's Committee Le Quoc Anh said the province hasinvestigated and punished all fishing vessels that were arrested abroad and violatedIUU. All information have also been publicised on the mass media.
Thelocality also launched crackdowns on violating vessels and those lacking theglobal positioning system (GPS), he said.
According to the provincial Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development, the total number of the fishing vessels with alength of 15m or more that are required to install GPS tracking devices is3,691. So far, 3,624 vessels, or 98.2%, have installed these devices.
An inspection team of the EC is scheduledto return to Vietnam in April to examine Vietnam’s anti-IUU fishing moves. The country is striving to have theEC’s “yellow card” warning against this issue removed right in 2023, whichdepends much on fishermen’s cooperation.
A single fishing vessel infringing foreign waters will be enough to ruin efforts to persuade the EC to lift the “yellow card”, said aletter issued by the provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to locals calling for support to the fight.
The letter particularly targets fishingvessel owners, executives of fishing, seafood purchasing and processingcompanies, captains, and fishermen in the Mekong Delta province.
The targeted groups are urged to promptly carryout the Government’s 180-day action plan against IUU fishing, implement the EC’srecommendations, and not to take fishing vessels to foreign waters for fishing./.
