Fishing vessels at My Tan port in Thanh Hai commune, Ninh Hai district, the south central province of Ninh Thuan. (Photo: VNA)The EC delegation conducted the fourth inspection over theissue in southern Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Binh Dinh provinces from October 10 to 18.
They spokehighly of the right direction and strong instructions from the VietnameseGovernment, and agreed with the country that the shift to a responsiblefishery industry has recorded improvements, Tien said.
He noted that in terms of the legal framework, the delegation agreed on two draft decrees amending and supplementing theGovernment’s Decree No. 26/2019/ND-CP, which detailsmeasures for enforcing the Law on Fisheries, and Decree No.42/2019/ND-CP, which stipulates administrative fines in the fishery sector.
However, the key problem is that the implementationresults in reality remain modest in monitoring fishingvessels and the punishments for violations and committingfraud, the official pointed out.
The inspectorsasked authorities to control materials imported by container ships, and levy fines for vessels that leave Vietnam's waters as tracked by vessel monitoringsystems (VMS).
The ECdelegation also recommended localities seriously enforce the legal regulations in the Law on Fisheries, especially the rules on VMS installation and vessel registration,licensing and marking, according to Tien.
He saidthat the delegation will have to report inspection results to the EC’sDirectorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries before a conclusion onthe removal of the “yellow card” warning for Vietnam is issued.
The Deputy Minister demanded leaders of coastalprovinces and cities to prevent vesselsfrom violating anti-IUU fishing rules in foreign waters.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development willquickly put into use the electronic origin tracing system, continue sendingdelegations to examine localities' efforts, and propose punishments for collectives and individuals who don't follow the rules, he added./.
VNA
