Reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper have just had the opportunity to work with the Navy force 401 - Command (BTL) of Coast Guard Region 4 to each fishing vessel operating and anchored in the An Thoi sea area (especially Phu Quoc area, An Giang province) to propagate regulations on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU).
Major Hoang Manh Hung - Deputy Political Commissar of the 40th Naval Squadron - Command of Coast Guard Region 4 said: The region has taken many propaganda measures on IUU prevention and control.
The bright and new point in the propaganda is that we have integrated QR codes on leaflets to help people get closer and easily exploit information related to seafood exploitation, fisheries laws, regulations, and prohibited acts when exploiting at sea... We design QR codes to update many documents related to IUU, current documents will be updated immediately on the system when there are changes, this code will also be automatically updated. Fishermen are not afraid that the document will be old and expired because it is always updated with new ones, Major Hoang Manh Hung informed.
Approaching fishing vessels, the force has informed and disseminated a number of regulations, especially instructing fishermen on how to use their phones to scan QR codes.
Fisherman Phan Tuan Anh, who has been at sea for a year, shared: "The Coast Guard came to the boat to instruct me to scan the QR code, I found it much easier than before, just the operation on the phone to open and scan would show a lot of information for me to read. Now everyone uses a smartphone, so it is easy to scan. The newspapers are read, but usually the big guys don't use phones, while the younger guys mostly use phones to watch a lot. But when I go to the beach, I'm not afraid of getting wet on paper, here and there, I can play with my phone whenever I have time to".
Mr. Tuan Anh also confided: "When I feel secure, my fishermen will be less violating or violating the law, please let me know what is not allowed, so that I do not violate or catch according to regulations. The leaflets are also useful, but when you look at the phone, you will have new information because they are constantly updated.
Coast Guard Region 4 also said that propaganda work has been modernized through the application of digital technology. In addition to traditional forms such as centralized propaganda, distributing leaflets and legal handbooks, the Region's staff have issued QR codes at fishing ports, wharves and on fishing vessels, integrated into leaflets.
It can be said that QR codes are an inevitable step to overcome the disadvantages of traditional propaganda methods, in line with the goal of removing yellow cards. However, there will also be some limitations such as mobile wave issues, older fishermen, not having or not being proficient in using phones... From there, the focused subjects of code scanning instructions will be young people, knowing how to use phones proficiently to then instruct other fishermen when needed.
Colonel Nguyen Van Tranh, Deputy Commander of the Law of the Command of Coast Guard Region 4 said: In recent times, the Command of the Region has resolutely implemented many measures to prevent IUU fishing, including organizing many propaganda activities for fishermen. In forms of propaganda, it has coordinated with provinces such as An Giang, Ca Mau, Can Tho to organize mock trials, discuss and discuss with fishermen's concerns, and instruct them on scanning QR codes. It can be said that in recent months, the activities of Vietnamese fishing vessels crossing the border and violating foreign waters have decreased significantly, almost non-existent. This is a positive signal, contributing to the common removal of EC's yellow card for the Vietnamese seafood industry.
