Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development has asked the central coastal provinces ofNghe An, Ha Tinh and Phu Yen to take urgent actions and find solutions inresponse to the EU’s warning about illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
At the same time, the localities need to implement the Law on Fisheries,meeting requirements for sustainable and responsible fishery development,focusing on new regulations and those regarding IUU fishing, the ministry said.
The illegal fishing in foreign waters must be handled completely andeffectively, it noted.
According to the ministry, there remain many shortcomings in implementing solutionsto deal with the EU’s yellow card, relating to the supervision and inspectionof fishing boats through seaports, illegal operation of fishing boats inforeign waters and the settlement of the violations, and camera installation onvessels.
The EU is Vietnam’s second largestseafood importer, purchasing 350-400 million USD worth of seafood annually,accounting for about 16-17 percent of the total seafood export revenue.
It imposed its “yellow card” ruling on Vietnamin October 2017, after the country failed to demonstrate sufficient progress inthe fight against IUU fishing worldwide. Since then, the country’s seafoodexports have faced various challenges.
According to EC requirements, the Vietnameseseafood sector had to implement nine recommendations, including revisions ofthe legal framework to ensure compliance with international and regional rules,applicable to the conservation and management of fisheries resources; ensuringthe effective implementation and enforcement of the country’s revised laws; andstrengthening the effective implementation of international rules andmanagement measures.
The EC also wanted Vietnam to issue sanctionsand increase the level of sanctions against IUU fishing, which should bewritten in the revised Law on Fisheries, and give concrete evidence provingVietnam’s efforts in the fight against IUU fishing. –VNA
VNA
