The request was the latest move by the MARD inan effort to have the European Commission (EC)’s “yellow card” lifted offVietnamese seafood.
On October 23, 2017, the EC issued a “yellowcard” warning to Vietnam, after the country failed to demonstrate sufficientprogress in the fight against IUU fishing.
The MARD told provinces and cities to step upits campaign on raising awareness and updating local fishermen and seafoodexporters on the “yellow card” and anti-IUU fishing regulations.
In the second half of 2018, coastal provincesand cities were recommended to mobilise resources and put forth suitablemeasures to monitor local fishing fleets. They were encouraged to apply strictpunishments to fishermen arrested or detected on tracker systems for theirillegal fishing on foreign waters. Those violators are subject to having their fishinglicences revoked permanently.
The ministry also asked local authorities tocollect all Movimar satellite geo-positioning devices installed on fishingships under 24m in length for reinstalling on ships whose lengths are 24m orlonger. These ship owners and captains were required to turn on Movimar devicesaround the clock when going fishing offshore.
The MARD recommended provinces and cities upgradethe GPS-integrated VX-1700 satellite communication machines which have beeninstalled on ships and port management units to ensure automatic reports onship arrivals.
A working delegation from the EC’s General Directoratefor Maritime Affairs and Fisheries visited Vietnam from May 16-24 to inspectthe country’s implementation of the EC’s nine recommendations related to thefight against IUU fishing.
The nine recommendations included revisions tothe 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’s delegation said the Vietnamese localities’efforts against the IUU fishing had shown little improvement and remained particularlyweak in some specific areas.
The EC inspectors will return to Vietnam inJanuary 2019 to review the country’s progress in addressing its “yellow card”warning. -VNA