Authorities examine a fishing vessel (smaller one) at sea. (Source: VNA) Sen. Lt. Col. Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, Deputy Chief of the Staff of the Quang Ngai Border Guard Command, said the force has coordinated with the province’s sub-department of fisheries to frequently inspect and examine activities of all fishing vessels operating off Quang Ngai’s coast.
Some violating vessels and their owners have been handled, he noted, adding that authorities have also met each vessel owner, captain, and crew member to disseminate detailed information about IUU fishing and penalties to educate them in law adherence.
By the end of July, 2,934 local fishing vessels with the minimum length of 15m had been installed with vessel monitoring systems (VMS). Among the 207 remainders, 128 have remained idle while 55 others have operated in other localities and not returned to Quang Ngai for years, according to the provincial fisheries sub-department.
Owners of the remaining vessels have pledged to equip their vehicles with VMS in the coming time, and they will be strictly handled if they still work without VMS, said Director of the sub-department Nguyen Van Muoi.
Despite strong management measures, some vehicles without registration or fishing licences still operate at sea. Meanwhile, via VMS, authorities have detected 81 vessels working beyond the boundary at sea and 260 losing contact for over 10 days since the start of 2023. They have imposed fines of over 500 million VND (21,100 USD).
To join nationwide efforts to remove the EC’s “yellow card” warning, Vice Chairman of the Quang Ngai People’s Committee Tran Phuoc Hien recently ordered agencies, units, and localities in the province to intensify the prescribed measure to put a halt to illegal fishing.
Ho Trong Phuong, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said Quang Ngai has been properly carrying out the EC’s recommendations issued in the previous inspections, and is prompting efforts to complete implementation before the EC delegation’s coming trip.
The province is determined to join hands with other coastal localities nationwide to remove the “yellow card” for Vietnam’s fisheries sector, he emphasised.
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
