Launch a concentrated inspection campaign and strictly handle all violations of IUU fishing practices.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh affirmed that lifting the yellow card and absolutely preventing the EC from issuing a "red card" is extremely urgent. Photo: VGP/Duc Tuan

The meeting was connected online to the commune level in 28 coastal provinces and cities. At the Nghe An branch, Comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - presided.

There has been progress, but it's still slow.

Reporting on the results of combating IUU fishing, Director General of the General Department of Fisheries Tran Dinh Luan stated that the total number of fishing vessels nationwide is currently 91,716. To date, progress has been made in installing vessel tracking systems (VMS) on fishing vessels, reaching 95.27%, an increase of over 5% compared to before.

"Law enforcement forces at sea have intensified patrols, inspections, and controls, especially in key maritime areas," said Mr. Tran Dinh Luan. From the fourth quarter of 2021 to the present, nearly 80,000 fishing vessels have been inspected and controlled.

On September 20, the National Steering Committee on Combating IUU Fishing held its sixth meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh, Head of the Steering Committee. Photo: VGP/Duc Tuan

Maritime law enforcement forces have implemented various solutions such as maintaining over 30 vessels, using drones for patrolling and monitoring; compiling lists of fishing vessels at high risk of violations for tracking and supervision… Localities such as Quang Ngai, Tien Giang, and Khanh Hoa have done well, significantly reducing cases of fishing vessel violations; especially Phu Yen, which has not detected any violations since 2021.

Comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - presided over the Nghe An branch of the meeting.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien added that the basic legal framework and policy mechanisms are complete; however, there are still some shortcomings and inadequacies in the implementation process. There are still instances of fishing vessels violating foreign waters.

Speaking about inspections of fishing ports and fleet management, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that he had reviewed many logbooks and found that the entries were superficial, with some cases almost completely blank. "Without logbooks, it's very difficult to trace the origin of the vessels."

Although the ships are equipped with VMS (Vehicle Monitoring System), the connection is not continuous or consistent, "sometimes blaming the equipment, sometimes blaming the weather." Mr. Phung Duc Tien also assessed that the handling of administrative violations is still inadequate. "Law enforcement is uneven across provinces; some provinces issue written reports, some call to remind, and some impose fines. As a result, there is a situation where ships from one province operate in another." Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that the Ministry is reviewing, amending, and perfecting Decree No. 42/2019/ND-CP, which proposes that the coast guard have the right to impose fines.

Noting that fishing vessels still violate foreign waters, Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Binh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, stated that strong sanctions are needed to strictly punish this behavior. “Captains know exactly where there are plenty of fish, which areas are our waters, and which are foreign waters. Currently, the penalties for captains are not sufficient to deter such behavior. In some countries, the main punishment is for captains, with some even imposing prison sentences, while fishermen are only fined.” Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Binh also expressed his hope that local authorities would take stronger action.

The meeting was connected online to the commune level in 28 coastal provinces and cities. Photo: VGP/Duc Tuan

Tell me about the past period"No fishing vessels in the province have been seized by foreign countries," shared Mr. Le Duc Giang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province. He explained that the province has required fishing vessels to install tracking devices and provided support for telecommunications subscriptions for three years. Currently, 100% of fishing vessels have installed these devices.

The province also categorizes and reviews vessels at risk of violations, requiring them to sign commitments and resolutely preventing fishing vessels without the necessary equipment from going out to sea; in addition, it regularly monitors and encourages fishermen through awareness campaigns.

Besides the achievements, the Vice Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee pointed out some limitations. Despite the installation of equipment, there are still instances of fishing vessels disconnecting the equipment or transferring it to other vessels. Investment in fishing port infrastructure remains problematic. Furthermore, there are difficulties in determining maritime boundaries for the purpose of penalizing fishing vessels that violate foreign waters.

Sharing this view, to minimize violations by fishermen, representatives from Phu Yen province suggested that the central and local governments should promote policies and solutions to help fishermen transition to other occupations, aiming to develop "sea-based" and "shore-based" farming models.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Binh believes that stronger penalties are needed for captains of ships that violate regulations. Photo: VGP/Duc Tuan

According to Deputy Chairman of the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province, Dinh Van Thieu, the province also faces some difficulties and obstacles similar to many other provinces, such as the situation where some fishing vessels install equipment but intentionally disconnect, making management very difficult. In the coming time, the province will propose to the Central Government to accelerate the projects of fisheries centers.

Opinions suggest that it is necessary to investigate, handle, and thoroughly punish the deliberate acts or organizations and individuals acting as intermediaries or facilitators in sending Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen to illegally exploit marine resources in foreign waters.

Immediately establish an inter-agency task force.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh affirmed that lifting the yellow card and absolutely preventing the EC from issuing a "red card" is extremely urgent and of particular importance to the lives of fishermen, the seafood export industry, as well as the national prestige and brand on the international stage.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, Party and State leaders are very concerned about this issue and have had many contacts and exchanges with high-ranking leaders of the European Union regarding Vietnam's commitment, efforts, and determination in combating IUU fishing; requesting the EC to lift the IUU yellow card on Vietnamese seafood as soon as possible. The Government and the Prime Minister have issued directives and instructions to implement measures to resolve this issue.

The Deputy Prime Minister stated that the results achieved show progress compared to before, such as the management of the fishing fleet gradually becoming more organized; the allocation of fishing license quotas in offshore, inshore, and coastal areas has been completed. The VMS system has been effectively implemented to monitor vessels operating at sea. Maritime law enforcement forces have intensified patrols, preventing many fishing vessels from violating foreign waters.

However, the results achieved have not met the requirements. The issuance of fishing licenses for the fleet has not met the requirements (reaching 96.7% for vessels 15m or longer, and only 46.6% for vessels under 15m).

The installation of vessel tracking systems (VMS) in 2022 was slow (only a 5% increase). In particular, there were still instances of fishing vessels violating regulations by exploiting marine resources in foreign waters. The traceability of seafood products also remains a significant challenge.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, this is a major issue; if it is not resolved, not only will the yellow card not be lifted, but there is also a risk of it being upgraded to a "red card" warning.

Local leaders deliver speeches via online video conference. Photo: VGP/Duc Tuan

"The comrades have presented the basic legal regulations fully, and the policy mechanisms regarding resources have been given attention," the Deputy Prime Minister said. The implementation by localities, especially at the grassroots level, plays a decisive role. Local authorities need to urgently direct organizations, establishments, teams, and individual fishermen to overcome existing shortcomings as soon as possible.

The Deputy Prime Minister requested the immediate establishment of inter-agency teams, chaired by leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at the central level and led by leaders of the Provincial People's Committees at the local level, to conduct specific inspections, promptly detect, and strictly handle violations of regulations on combating IUU fishing.

Coast guard, border guard, fisheries inspection, and local police forces are stepping up patrols, inspections, and handling of violations at sea and in fishing ports. At the same time, they are intensifying information and communication efforts to help fishermen understand the risks and harms, thereby raising awareness in combating IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing.

In the long term, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that ministries, sectors, and localities effectively implement the directives of the Government and the Prime Minister, especially the Project on preventing and combating IUU fishing until 2025, which was recently issued by the Prime Minister, to develop Vietnam's seafood harvesting, processing, and export industry safely and sustainably.