Quang Tri (VNA) – The central province of Quang Tri has been concentrating on monitoring the origin of fishing products at ports, as part of its efforts to wipe out illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
To facilitate the work, the province’s sub-department of fisheries applied the electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT). This application monitors and ensures transparency and legality in line with regulations on certifying the origin of domestic fishing to satisfy the requirements of the European Commission.
eCDT is a smartphone app shared by the Directorate of Fisheries, the Sub-Department of Fisheries, the Fishing Port Management Board, the Border Guard, export processing companies, fish warehouse owners, and fishermen.
It provides simple, easy-to-understand functions for making declarations according to the regulations: declarations about fishing vessels leaving and entering ports, initial data about vessels and crew, catches (using an electronic diary), exploitation output, output at ports, loading and unloading receipts, fish purchases at ports, and certification of the origin of raw materials delivered to processing factories.
The sub-department provided training classes and instructed officers at local fishing ports, coastal border guard stations, fishing vehicles’ owners and captains on fishing vessels with a length of 15 metres or more to use the app.
According to the sub-department’s representative, thanks to the app, authorities can effectively monitor the fishing vessels that enter or leave the fishing ports. It’s also convenient for them to issue documents relating to the loading/unloading of aquatic products at ports, certification of caught seafood.
Quang Tri province has Cua Tung port in Vinh Linh district and Nam Cua Viet port in Trieu Phong district designated as two fishing ports. According to regulations, fishing vessels with a length of 15m or more must dock at these designated fishing ports.
By mid-June 2024, all fishing vessels with a length of 24m or more were inspected when entering and leaving the fishing ports. Meanwhile, the rate of inspected vessels with a length from 15m to less than 24m was higher than prescribed.
The People's Committee of Quang Tri province has also asked departments and agencies to tighten management of vessels that enter/exit fishing ports, improve the efficiency of port operations, and closely monitor the volume of aquatic products taken to the ports.
Fishing vessels are strictly inspected when entering/exiting the ports with specific number of exploited aquatic products. All offshore fishing vessels must enter the designated fishing ports.
Organisations and individuals will be strictly punished if they are found to intentionally make false documents on the origin of aquatic products.
The provincial border guards strengthen inspection, closely monitor fishing vessels that enter/exit creeks, and strictly handle fishing vessels that violate regulations on IUU fishing./.
