Fishing vessels off Phu Quoc Island of Kien Giang province (Photo: VNA) The provincial steering committee for anti-IUU fishing said strong measures are being taken to prevent local fishing vessels from infringing foreign waters, including keeping a close watch on high-risk groups and holding leaders of all-level Party committees and administrations responsible if violations by vessels from their localities continue.
Quang Trong Thao, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the Kien Giang administration has sent inter-sectoral delegations to examine and promote departments, agencies, units, and localities’ implementation of anti-IUU fishing rules in order to address existing problems and shortcomings.
The agriculture department has also coordinated with localities and relevant forces like border guards, coast guards, and police to step up patrol, examination, and settlement of violating vessels, while strictly managing vessels in line with regulations such as those on registration, fishing licence, food safety, and vessel monitoring system (VMS) installation.
They have also worked to review and grasp the situation of the entire fishing fleet to serve the classification and supervision of vessels and the settlement of wrongdoings, he noted.
From now to October, provincial and district-level authorities will increase communications about IUU fishing prevention and control to ensure local residents, especially fishermen, gain timely and sufficient access to information about anti-IUU fishing rules, according to Thao.
Kien Giang has 9,503 registered fishing vessels at present. Among the 3,707 vehicles at least 15 metres long that are subject to VMS installation, 3.652 have been equipped with the systems, according to the provincial steering committee for anti-IUU fishing.
The EC issued a “yellow card” warning for Vietnam in terms of IUU fishing in 2017. The "yellow card" is followed by a "green card" if the problem is resolved or a "red card" if it is not. A “red card” may lead to a ban on aquatic exports to the EU./.
VNA
