HCM City (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has underlined that having the European Commission (EC)’s "yellow card" warning over illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing removed in 2025 and sustainably developing the fisheries sector is an urgent and essential task, one that must be completed without delay.
He made the request while chairing the 23rd meeting of the National Steering Committee for Combating IUU Fishing in Ho Chi Minh City on November 25. The session was held via videoconference connecting the southern city, the Government Office, and 21 coastal provinces and cities.
The issue must be thoroughly addressed for the honour and reputation of the nation, for the rights and legitimate interests of the people, and for social progress, fairness and equity, PM Chinh remarked.
The Government leader stressed that since early November, central localities have been continuously battered by Typhoon Kalmaegi and unprecedented, prolonged heavy rain that exceeded historic levels, causing severe human and material losses and disrupting socio-economic activities.
Extending his deepest condolences to affected residents and local authorities, especially to the families of those who died, are missing or injured, PM Chinh ordered that housing, food, essential supplies, and clean water must be guaranteed for all, ensuring no one is left hungry, cold, homeless, or without access to safe water.
The 23rd meeting of the National Steering Committee for Combating IUU Fishing on November 25. (Photo: VNA)
He instructed localities to support residents in repairing damaged homes by November 30, and to rebuild houses or resettle families whose homes collapsed or suffered destruction by January 31, 2026. The leader also stressed the need to ensure environmental sanitation, repair schools, maintain medical services, restore transport, irrigation, water supply, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure, as well as resume production and business activities, particularly in the agricultural sector.
The PM noted that alongside disaster response and recovery, coastal localities must continue efforts to combat IUU fishing, with the firm resolve to have the EC’s "yellow card" warning lifted this year.
He demanded problems and shortcomings, especially those of the EC's special concern, be completely handled, with the positive results built on and effective solutions to underperformed tasks devised.
PM Chinh also assigned specific tasks to ministries, coastal localities, as well as industry associations and businesses to help with nationwide efforts for the benefit of people and the whole nation.
At the meeting, participants shared the view that with the strong determination in eradicating IUU fishing and lifting the “yellow card” in 2025, progress has been recorded in the performance of many tasks over the past week, with many focal duties completed on scheduled.
Notably, ministries, sectors, and localities have fulfilled 85 of the 99 tasks, up 30 from last week, and the 14 remainders are being carried out as planned. Vessel management and fishing monitoring have continued to improve considerably as all the 79,360 vessels were registered and updated on the national fisheries database (Vnfishbase).
Over the past week, no vessels have been reported infringing or being seized in foreign waters. The settlement of IUU fishing cases has seen further improvement while law enforcement been seriously conducted, particularly when it comes to illegal fishing in foreign waters./.
