Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will finish installingmonitoring devices on nearly 3,000 offshore fishing boats in early 2019, a moveto fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, according to theDirectorate of Fisheries.
These devices are compulsory for vessels withlength of 24 metres or more under European Commission (EC) regulations.
The Directorate of Fisheries said Vietnam hassufficient legal tools and strictly enforced rules on the management, licensingand registration of fishing boats, and for ensuring the security and safety ofthose vessels at sea.
It has also issued resolutions and mechanisms towork with law enforcement agencies to ensure security and safety for fishingboats at sea.
The EC imposed a “yellow card” warning onVietnam in October last year after the country had failed to demonstratesufficient progress in the fight against IUU fishing.
Countries that fail to meet EC standards aregiven a "yellow card", followed by a "green card" if theproblems are resolved, or a "red card" if they are not. A red cardcan lead to a trade ban on fishery products.
A delegation from the European Parliament’sCommittee on Fisheries has made a fact-finding tour of some coastal provincesof Vietnam to inspect efforts to address IUU fishing.-VNA
