HCM City (VNA ) – The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters andProducers (VASEP) and the Vietnam Coast Guard High Command will join hands tofight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, per a Memorandum ofUnderstanding inked between the two sides on October 24.
The two sides agreed to coordinate in carrying out the national actionprogramme on combating IUU fishing.
Information on Vietnamese and foreign IUU fishing vessels will be exchangedbetween the two organisations and consultancy on anti-IUU fishing programmeswill be promoted.
The Vietnamese Coast Guard will enhance inspection and supervision to detectIUU fishing vessels and work with foreign coast guards to prevent illegalfishing. Meanwhile, VASEP will help the coast guard authority to investigateand verify fishing violations.
Both sides will cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment and local aquatic management agencies to establish and operate afishery database centre to trace IUU vessel origins.
Earlier, the European Commission issued a “yellow card” warning to Vietnam asthe country failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in the fight against IUUfishing. Vietnam has six months to rectify the situation and if there is noimprovement, the country will receive a red card, banning its seafood exportsto the EU.-VNA