Quang Tri (VNA) – The central province of Quang Tri is going to launch a peak campaign from July 1 to August 31 to increase patrols and examinations at sea while resolutely handling violations in an effort to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, according to Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Huu Vinh.
Vinh requested units to strengthen inspection and handling of the fishing vessels that do not dock at designated ports, continue popularising related regulations to local fishermen, review and promulgate procedures for operating vessel monitoring systems (VMS), and complete the process of handling administrative violations in the field of fisheries.
It is necessary to seek ways to address shortcomings in the fight against IUU fishing, he said, pointing out that some fishing vessels remained ineligible, still did not notify port management units one hour before docking, operated in wrong areas, and improperly recorded their activities in logbooks.
VMS devices of some vehicles stayed unconnected or lost contact while others broke down due to satellite or technical errors, leading to difficulties in managing and monitoring activities of fishing vessels at sea, he added.
Over the past time, Quang Tri has achieved positive results in the combat against IUU fishing. The number of fishing vessels equipped with VMSs has reached almost 99%, nearly 97% been granted fishing licences, 99.5% marked, and 100% updated their data and submitted fishing logs. Notably, by the end of June, the province has recorded no local vessel infringing foreign waters, crossing the fishing boundaries, or losing signal for 10 days or more at sea.
Vietnam has been working hard to carry out the European Commission’s recommendations about IUU fishing prevention and control, towards the goal of having the EC's yellow card lifted.
The EC issued a “yellow card” warning for Vietnam in this regard 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./.
