Quang Binh (VNA) – The central coastal province of Quang Binh has ordered the on-time and effective implementation of measures against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as well as careful agenda preparation for the upcoming working session with the European Commission (EC)’s inspection team.
It is necessary to allocate adequate resources for the mission toward having the EC’s IUU-fishing-associated “yellow card” warning lifted, resolutely deal with organisations and individuals who fail to fulfill their assigned duties, and reward and support in a timely way those emerging as exemplary models, local authorities stressed, adding the pilot of the electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT) must be implemented across traditional and private fishing ports, with fishermen assisted to use the system.
Besides, the investigation and verification of local vessels illegally fishing in foreign waters since the beginning of 2023 must be accelerated, while all entries and exits of fishing vessels at local ports must be strictly controlled to ensure full compliance with regulations.
In the first six months of this year, the province logged nearly 47,600 tonnes of fisheries products, up 2.8% year-on-year.
The EC’s upcoming fifth IUU fishing inspection in Vietnam is expected to take place around September-October.
According to a report from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the fourth inspection in October last year showed that positive progress had been made. The removal of the 'yellow card' on marine products is seen as a critical and urgent task for Vietnam, as the European Union is among the top three export markets for Vietnamese seafood, only behind the US and China./.
