In an effort to remove the EC's seafood "yellow card", the Government directs departments, ministries, branches and coastal localities to focus on implementing effective solutions, determined to achieve the goal from now until April/ By 2024, there will no longer be a situation where Vietnamese fishing vessels illegally exploit seafood in foreign waters.
On February 16, 2024, the Government Office released the Conclusion of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang at the 9th meeting of the National Steering Committee on combating illegal, unreported and unreported fishing. unregulated (IUU).
The goal is that from now until April 2024, there will be no more Vietnamese fishing vessels illegally exploiting seafood in foreign waters. (Illustration)
Implement urgent and focused solutions from now until April 30, 2024
In the above Notice, the Deputy Prime Minister acknowledged the efforts of central and local departments, ministries, branches in implementing tasks and solutions to combat IUU fishing, overcoming shortcomings and limitations that The 4th Inspection Team of the European Commission (EC) pointed out; Appreciate and praise Kien Giang province as the first province to conduct a trial on the case of brokering and connecting fishing vessels and fishermen to illegally exploit foreign waters, ensuring the strictness of the law. the law.
However, overall, up to now, in some localities, there are still many problems that are slow to overcome, and progress has not been ensured according to the direction of the Prime Minister and Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU, such as : The situation of illegal fishing vessels and fishermen in foreign waters continues to occur and becomes complicated; Control, confirmation, certification and traceability of exploited aquatic products are ineffective; Unable to manage and control "03 no" fishing vessels; Local authorities and authorities have not fully implemented their responsibilities and tasks in investigating, verifying, and sanctioning IUU fishing acts such as illegal fishing in foreign waters, disconnection or illegally sending or transporting VMS equipment, violating the fishing logbook, fishing vessels operating in the wrong areas... leading to very limited results, not synchronized between localities, and not ensuring strictness. justification of the law.
The 5th inspection (expected in April 2024) is the decisive time to remove the EC's "Yellow Card" warning in 2024. Therefore, the Deputy Prime Minister requests the Ministers and Heads of Relevant ministries, agencies and Chairman of the People's Committees of 28 coastal provinces and centrally run cities focus on leadership and direction to completely resolve current shortcomings and limitations; which focuses on implementing urgent and key tasks and solutions from now until April 30, 2024.
Bring to trial cases of hooking up fishing vessels to illegally exploit foreign waters
Specifically, the Deputy Prime Minister requested departments, ministries, branches, and People's Committees of coastal provinces and centrally run cities to focus at peak levels and mobilize resources to synchronously deploy tasks and solutions. combat IUU exploitation in accordance with the instructions of the Standing Committee of the Secretariat, the Government, and the Prime Minister (especially Official Telegram No. 1058/CD-TTg dated November 4, 2023), and the conclusions of the Head of the Steering Committee. National guidelines on IUU and other relevant documents; Absolutely do not be negligent or subjective; Resolutely handle organizations and individuals who do not fulfill their assigned responsibilities and tasks in the performance of public duties, violate the provisions of law, and affect the overall effort to remove the "Yellow Card" of the whole country; promptly motivate, reward and encourage good examples in combating IUU exploitation; Focus on implementing effective solutions, determined to achieve the goal that from now until April 2024, there will be no more Vietnamese fishing vessels illegally exploiting seafood in foreign waters; simultaneously investigate and bring to trial cases of law violations related to brokerage and connection to bring fishing vessels and fishermen to illegally exploit foreign waters similar to the cases tried in Vietnam. Kien Giang province for deterrence and propaganda.
Strengthen propaganda and mobilization of fishermen to exploit seafood legally. (Illustration)
Continue to organize working groups to guide localities against IUU fishing
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development continues to organize working groups to inspect, urge and guide localities to carry out the task of combating IUU fishing; Report to the Prime Minister on implementation results and propose strict handling of responsibilities for localities that do not fulfill the responsibilities and tasks assigned by the Prime Minister.
At the same time, preside and coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security, the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province and relevant parties to urgently handle 01 violating imported ship that has been pointed out by the EC according to legal regulations. domestic and international practices. Appoint the Director of the Department of Fisheries Surveillance as a delegation to work with Khanh Hoa province to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the Havuco-02 ship according to the signs detected by the EC to urgently come up with a handling plan and provide results. results for EC.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinates with localities to drastically deploy appropriate solutions to manage and control local seafood production while ensuring traceability and creating favorable conditions for Convenient for fishing activities of fishermen; Resolutely handle cases of intentional violations; Chair and coordinate with relevant agencies to research cooperation with other countries to organize Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen to legally exploit seafood in foreign waters.
Implement peak control of fishing vessels entering and exiting ports
The Ministry of National Defense presides over and coordinates with the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Police and the People's Committees of coastal provinces and centrally run cities to continue comprehensively and synchronously implementing measures. to prevent and stop illegal fishing vessels and fishermen in foreign waters.
Continue to carry out peak patrols, inspections and controls in maritime areas bordering Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand...
Arrange enough forces for maritime border posts and stations to carry out peak control of fishing vessels entering and exiting ports; patrol, inspect and control at estuaries, estuaries and islands; Pay special attention to logistics service vessels catching aquatic resources and focus on key areas of Kien Giang province and Ca Mau province.
The Ministry of National Defense presides and coordinates with local authorities to strengthen propaganda and advocacy work using many forms and objects of propaganda to further enhance people's awareness of law observance; resolutely fight and thoroughly handle violations.
Seafood export businesses must be responsible for strictly complying with regulations against IUU fishing. (Illustration)
Ensure monitoring of 100% of caught aquatic products
The Ministry of Public Security carries out a peak investigation and brings to trial cases of law violations related to brokering and connecting fishing vessels and fishermen to illegally exploit foreign waters similar to the case The case was tried in Kien Giang province.
Direct the police and police forces of 28 coastal localities to arrange forces to focus on understanding the situation, deploying professional measures, reconnaissance, and advising the Provincial IUU Prevention and Control Steering Committee to direct the authorities. Authorities strictly control local and foreign fishing vessels operating in the area; ensure monitoring of 100% of caught aquatic products, thereby detecting exploitation acts that violate regulations in the Fisheries Law and IUU fishing violations.
At the same time, the Ministry of Public Security urgently investigates and prosecutes organizations and individuals who commit acts of falsifying state agency documents to legalize records of aquatic products that violate IUU fishing for export to the market. European schools; proactively grasp the situation, investigate and handle violations against groups of fishing vessels that intentionally do not return to shore, and logistics service vessels that catch aquatic resources.
Chairman of the People's Committees of coastal provinces and centrally run cities focus on leading, directing, allocating sufficient resources, and clearly assigning responsibilities of local agencies and functional forces to resolve the issue. Eliminate shortcomings and limitations, ensure there is specific data and results to prove, and simultaneously strictly handle IUU exploitation in the locality; which focuses on performing the following tasks:
- Continue to strengthen propaganda and advocacy work in many forms and propaganda objects to further enhance people's awareness of law observance; which focuses on key areas, thoroughly applying measures right from shore to promptly detect early and from afar, and resolutely prevent fishing vessels and fishermen from illegally fishing in the sea. foreign.
- Provinces whose fishing vessels are arrested and handled by foreign countries such as Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Binh Dinh, Ben Tre, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa... urgently investigate and thoroughly handle cases of illegal fishing in foreign waters from the beginning of 2023 until now.
- Investigate, verify, and thoroughly handle violations of VMS disconnection, illegal sending, and transportation of VMS equipment from the beginning of 2023 to present.
- Implement peak law enforcement, patrol, inspect, and control fishing vessel activities at sea, at ports, at estuaries, estuaries, and islands in the area (including fishing vessels operating in other provinces). in the area); Pay special attention to logistics service vessels catching aquatic resources.
- Make a list of private and traditional fishing ports and wharves; Closely monitor local seafood production to ensure traceability and create favorable conditions for fishermen's exploitation activities; Resolutely and strictly handle violations that intentionally do not enter the port to load and unload exploited aquatic products to avoid the control of the authorities.
- Ensure that fishing vessels participating in aquatic exploitation must turn on VMS devices 24/7 according to regulations from the time they leave the port to the time they arrive at the port, verify and handle 100% of fishing vessels that violate the VMS disconnection regulations ( 6 hours without reporting position, not returning fishing vessels to shore for more than 10 days), exceeding the allowed boundary at sea.
The Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the Vietnam Tuna Association, and seafood export enterprises must be responsible for strictly complying with regulations against IUU fishing, absolutely not purchasing, processing, exporting aquatic products exploited in violation of IUU.
Associations, seafood associations, and seafood export enterprises actively accompany, join hands, and coordinate with the authorities to strictly handle illegal seafood businesses, legalize documents, and continue to hand, condoning IUU fishing.
Departments, ministries, branches and localities will further strengthen information and communication activities, propaganda and training on legal regulations on combating IUU fishing; Widely and regularly publicize cases of IUU fishing violations that are handled by means of deterrence and education.
Before March 31, 2024, ministries, branches and localities report implementation results to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for synthesis and reporting to the Prime Minister and Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU. implementation results.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development presides and coordinates with ministries, branches and localities to organize and effectively implement programs, projects and planning and continue to research and propose solutions to ensure effective implementation of programs, projects and plans. ensure sustainable, responsible fisheries development and international integration./.
