On October 17, in Ca Mau, Central Party Committee member, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government Tran Hong Ha chaired a meeting on combating illegal fishing.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha asked leaders of ministries, branches and localities to unify their awareness and implementation of measures to remove the IUU "yellow card" not only to participate in the European market, but also to develop a sustainable seafood industry, ensuring long-term benefits and livelihoods.
The Deputy Prime Minister directed specialized agencies to strengthen coordination in handling cases related to illegal exploitation of foreign waters, creating deterrence, strictness, in accordance with Vietnamese law and international practices, especially the main responsibility of the captain, the right person, the right crime. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reviewed the inspection and licensing process for fishing vessels according to feasible, practical and scientific requirements to enhance capacity. The Ministry of National Defence was assigned to improve the effectiveness of voyage monitoring equipment and provide free equipment for fishing vessels according to regulations, considering this a national asset, all violations must be handled according to the law.
Assign the fisheries control force to preside over and coordinate with other forces to launch a peak month to thoroughly inspect and control all fishing vessels at sea, especially the “3 no” vessels, the group of vessels with high risk of illegal fishing. At the same time, on shore, local authorities direct the main force, the police, to review and re-inspect all fishing vessels to remove their registration, closely monitor, and provide full information...
“By November 2024, localities must complete the registration and management of 100% of fishing vessels in the area, leaving no "3 no" fishing vessels,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said that the situation of fishing vessels violating illegal fishing in foreign waters continues to be complicated. From the beginning of 2024 to now, 61 vessels/418 fishermen have been arrested and processed by foreign countries, an increase of 12 vessels/16 fishermen compared to the same period in 2023. Domestic authorities discovered, arrested and processed 19 vessels violating illegal fishing in foreign waters.
The situation of illegal fishing vessels is becoming more and more sophisticated, such as: Using fishing vessels under 15m in length without installing VMS equipment; intentionally turning off VMS when operating near the border waters; or intentionally sending or transporting VMS equipment on other fishing vessels...
Currently, the country still has 9,322 "three no" vessels (unregistered, uninspected, unlicensed). The situation of buying, selling, transferring, and changing ownership of fishing vessels without carrying out procedures for deregistration and re-registration of fishing vessels within the province and between provinces still occurs frequently.
At the meeting, delegates shared experiences and recommended immediate actions: Clearly define responsibilities in managing fishing vessel operations at fishing ports and at sea; support ship owners in purchasing VMS equipment; manage the quality of VMS equipment; handle vessels operating in the wrong areas or on the wrong routes, etc.
Chairman of Tien Giang Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Vinh said that the criminal handling of some IUU violations has greatly affected the awareness and thinking of ship owners and fishermen. Vice Chairman of Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee Le Van Su proposed adding some specific occupations such as squid fishing and tuna fishing that must install VMS even if the vessel size is less than 15m as prescribed.
Vice Chairman of Binh Dinh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Tuan Thanh proposed strict management of fishing vessels under 15m in length, not having to install VMS equipment; having a specialized department to support and provide information about fishing vessels arrested in foreign waters so that local authorities have a basis for handling domestically.
Mr. Le Van Su - Vice Chairman of Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee - said that recently, Ca Mau province has also encountered difficulties in managing "three no" fishing vessels, the province has also applied many technologies to manage fishing vessels.
