Raising fishermen's awareness in combating IUU fishing

Say "no" to borrowing papers to go fishing!

Ngoc Bich Commune (Dien Chau) is a "key point" for exploitation and fishing in the coastal waters of Nghe An. This commune alone has nearly 400 boats from 12 to 24 meters long, accounting for 2/3 of the entire district's fleet. When Dien Thanh Border Guard Station launched a peak campaign, determined not to allow boats without full papers at Lach Van estuary to go fishing, hundreds of boats were forced to return to shore.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dung - Vice Chairman of Ngoc Bich Commune People's Committee said: At the time of launching the handling, because of the direction of the province and district on checking the documents of fishing boats entering and leaving, after people came to the commune to report their opinions, the Commune People's Committee had a dialogue and explained specifically to the people.

Mr. Le The Hieu - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dien Chau district also confirmed: The fact that the inter-sectoral force does not allow boats to leave the channel without complete paperwork and procedures is necessary and in accordance with regulations. For a long time, due to lack of strict enforcement, the situation of near-shore fishing boats borrowing certificates is quite widespread. Now, with strict enforcement, boats must have a crew list and the correct captain and chief engineer certificates to be allowed to leave the channel.

In Ngoc Bich commune, about 90% of fishing boats, mainly under 12m in length, have captain and chief engineer certificates but are not operated by the right person. Mr. Vu Van Son, a boat owner in Nam Thinh hamlet, said that his boat has 3 workers, of which he has a captain certificate, the other used to have a chief engineer certificate but has retired. The replacement, although having the corresponding qualifications, is still not allowed to set sail because the name on the certificate does not match.

Not only Mr. Son, many other ship owners are in the same situation, forced to make concessions and depend on the crew. In addition, most of the seafarers are elderly, some are illiterate, so they face difficulties when being inspected and having their violations recorded.

This situation is posing many challenges for fishing vessel management and requires more effective training and labor engagement solutions. Mr. Tran Xuan Nhue - Head of the Exploitation Department, Department of Fisheries - Fisheries Control of the province said: Seafarers only go ashore during the full moon or bad weather, so training sessions and awareness raising for fishermen are chosen at this time. However, very few training sessions have the right participants, mainly the wives and children of captains and chief engineers go instead.

Recently, a fishing boat owner from Nghi Tan ward (Vinh city) when being fined, asked the team to record the fine so that he could return to shore to pay the fine and continue fishing, because his conditions prevented him from buying a large boat to go offshore.

It is known that fishermen in Dien Chau district have a difficult time switching to coastal fishing. One of the reasons is that the wharf and waterway infrastructure in Dien Chau district is shallow and cannot accommodate large ships.

On the other hand, currently, due to the decline in aquatic resources and limited awareness, fishermen still ignore it, abuse electric shock or use nets that are too small for fishing. A fishing boat owner in Thuan Long commune (Quynh Luu) said: Although mining with mines has decreased, 4-pole boats still use 3-phase electricity, with a capacity of 220V to 380V to shock the bottom and use small nets to drag the trawl, making it difficult for aquatic products from small to large to escape; the already reduced aquatic resources are becoming even more depleted.

Supplementing policies to support fishermen in changing jobs

In the above context, it is necessary for the Border Guard to take drastic action. A representative of the Thuan Long Commune Fisheries Association commented: The Association supports the Border Guard to work more seriously and synchronously.

In Dien Chau district, after only one week of strict implementation, many fishing households have changed their awareness. On the afternoon of April 14, at the People's Committee of Ngoc Bich commune, dozens of households came to the People's Committee to register to study for captain and chief engineer certificates. At the same time, at Lach Van Port in Ngoc Bich commune, dozens of ship owners, after completing crew papers and logbooks, went to the port to complete departure procedures.

The representative of Ngoc Bich Commune People's Committee also said: Compared to before, the district and province have created more favorable conditions for fishermen. For example, after supporting the purchase of VMS equipment, the province approved the late payment of fines by violating vessels in multiple installments. The Commune People's Committee is ready to facilitate the confirmation and update of crew member lists for fishermen in need. According to regulations, it takes 1 week to get a certificate, but the locality proposed to issue temporary receipts so that the Border Guard can let people leave the canal.

In Quynh Luu district and Hoang Mai town, the awareness of offshore fishing vessel owners has changed. Currently, 99% of vessels have installed VMS devices, some offshore vessels have installed 2 VMS devices in case of problems, so that other devices can replace them to ensure the signal for fishing. When leaving the channel or returning to shore, the vessel owners complete all paperwork.

However, the reality of verifying and handling fishing vessels that have lost VMS signals shows that determining the cause is quite difficult. In meetings with the Central Government, Nghe An has repeatedly recommended that ministries and branches work with VMS equipment and service providers to find solutions.

Recently, a fishing boat owner with a length of over 24m in Thuan Long commune (Quynh Luu) had a long fishing day and lost the VMS signal for over 6 hours. After returning to shore, the Border Guard Station did not allow the boat to go out to sea, so he filed a complaint to the equipment supplier. After checking, VNPT determined that the cause of the signal loss was objective, so the Border Guard force allowed the boat to leave the port.

Mr. Vu Ngoc Chat - Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, Chairman of Thuan Long Fisheries Association said: Recently, the agencies have strictly punished fishing vessels that have lost signal for a long time, which is correct, but it is also necessary to objectively check and inspect the quality of equipment and VMS signals to punish suppliers and no fishing vessel is unjustly fined or delayed at sea.

Based on local reality, Dien Chau Fisheries Association and Hoang Mai Town Fisheries Association recommend continuing to promote the 2017 Fisheries Law and combat IUU fishing; at the same time, amending Resolution 18/2020/NQ-HDND in the direction of supplementing support for fishermen to change careers, such as preferential loans for labor export and support for training costs for captain and chief engineer certificates. At the same time, tightening management, having support policies, and at the same time requiring crew members to have certificates in the right positions to raise awareness and professionalism in fishing work.