Coastal provinces are determined to eliminate Vietnamese fishing vessels engaged in illegal fishing activities in foreign waters by April 2024.
On February 16, 2024, the Government Office issued the Conclusion of Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang at the 9th meeting of the National Steering Committee on combating IUU fishing.
In the announcement, the Deputy Prime Minister acknowledged the efforts of the coastal provinces in combating IUU fishing. However, there are some Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen engaging in illegal fishing activities in foreign waters; resulting in ineffective traceability of exploited seafood.
The 5th inspection (scheduled for April 2024) is the decisive moment to remove the “Yellow card” warning from the EC in 2024. Therefore, the Deputy Prime Minister requested local authorities to decisively resolve current shortages, focusing on implementing urgent tasks and solutions from now until April 30, 2024, with determination to achieve the goal by April 2024.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue to organize inspection teams to check the implementation of IUU fishing prevention tasks in localities. At the same time, the Ministry will coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to thoroughly handle the EC-identified violative vessel Havuco-02. The Ministry of National Defense will continue to conduct stringent patrols in bordering sea areas with Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.
The Ministry of Public Security will investigate and prosecute cases of violations related to brokers facilitating illegal fishing activities in foreign waters. Additionally, the Ministry will urgently investigate and prosecute organizations and individuals involved in falsifying state documents to legitimize seafood products violating IUU fishing for export to the European market.
VASEP, the Vietnam Tuna Association, and seafood export enterprises must strictly comply with IUU fishing prevention regulations, absolutely refraining from purchasing, processing, and exporting seafood products obtained through IUU fishing.
Before March 31, 2024, ministries, sectors, and localities will report their implementation results to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for synthesis and reporting to the Prime Minister and the Head of the National IUU Steering Committee.
VFM
