Nghe An focuses on reviewing and thoroughly handling '3 no' fishing boats
In Nghe An, the management of vessels under 12 m is facing many difficulties. In the area, there are still many fishing vessels that have not been inspected, registered and granted technical safety certificates (called "3 no" vessels) for fishing.
Actively guide and support fishermen…
Implementing Circular No. 06/TT-BNN & PTNT on amending and supplementing procedures for granting fishing vessel licenses, after review, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee issued Decision 1647/2024/QD-UBND announcing 459 "3 no" fishing vessels that are not eligible for granting fishing licenses. Of which, in Hoang Mai town there are 122 vessels, Quynh Luu district has 86 vessels, Nghi Loc has 199 vessels, Dien Chau has 10 vessels and Cua Lo town has 42 vessels...
To ensure fishing conditions according to the 2017 Fisheries Law and related Decrees, the Provincial People's Committee requires the above ship owners to supplement information and paperwork for registration and licensing before August 31, 2024.
In addition, the Provincial Steering Committee on Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU) also assigned the completion of the review and handling of procedures for 459 vessels and fishing vessels that arose before the deadline by August 31, 2024. Any fishing vessel owner who fails to re-register will absolutely not be allowed to go to sea to fish; after August 31, 2024, if the vessel still goes fishing, it will be severely punished without exception.
In early July 2024, the Provincial People's Committee directed the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Fisheries Sub-Department to review and guide people to complete the procedures. However, these are fishing vessels with quite complicated origins, the registration and inspection papers have expired but the fishermen have not completed the registration and inspection procedures.
Mr. Tran Xuan Nhue - Head of Exploitation Department, Department of Fisheries - Fisheries Control added: For a long time, when completing procedures, fishermen have declared the length of the ship's side incorrectly or declared the incorrect capacity, brand and origin of the main engine; fishing vessels have been transferred many times, through many people. In addition, fishermen have painted the cabin and bow of the ship incorrectly according to the provisions of the Fisheries Law, making it very difficult for authorities to identify and manage.
According to Circular No. 06/2024/TT-BNN& PTNT, even after many transfers, the current ship owner only needs to declare the most recent fishing vessel owner who transferred it to him/her, along with information such as vessel length, engine capacity, a copy of the bow and cockpit cabin, then the vessel will be appraised and licensed in the owner's name and will not have to pay registration fees... This is a preferential treatment and facilitation from the State, "3 no" fishing vessels and fishermen need to take advantage of this opportunity to declare and complete procedures for fishing vessels. The ship owner only needs to declare correctly according to the form and send it to the Provincial Public Administration Service Center to be considered for licensing by the Sub-Department as soon as possible.
Mr. Le Van Huong - Deputy Head of the Department of Fisheries - Fisheries Surveillance of Nghe An
Quynh Phuong Ward is one of the localities with the most "3 no" fishing boats in Hoang Mai Town with 106 "3 no" fishing boats. After 3 sessions of review and guidance, by July 31, the procedures for 106 boats on the list had been completed; at the same time, 37 boats not on the list were declared. In Dien Chau District, after mobilization, 10/10 "3 no" fishing boats in Dien Ngoc Commune registered for re-issuance procedures; at the same time, 2 boats not on the list made additional declarations.
After nearly 4 weeks of implementation, the Department of Fisheries - Fisheries Control organized 7 working sessions with districts and towns. As of August 15, fishing vessel registration certificates have been issued to 247/459 vessels, reaching 53.81%; 182/247 fishing vessels have been granted fishing licenses; striving to complete registration procedures for 100% of "3 no" vessels on the list before August 31, 2024. Currently, along with focusing on resolving the "3 no" fishing vessels on the list, at this time, localities are actively mobilizing fishermen to declare newly arising "3 no" vessels.
Proactively remove newly arising problems
In addition to the "3 no" fishing vessels on the list, according to reports from districts and towns, by August 14, 2024, the whole province had 156 vessels not on the list that had to be added.
Although the People's Committees of districts, Border Guard Stations and commune officials explained and propagated, the progress of settlement was still quite slow.
Previously, due to lack of supervision and no sanctions for fishing vessels that change their name or transfer their ownership without registration, the situation of fishing vessels of fishermen in general provinces and Nghe An in particular were transferred quite arbitrarily. Nghe An fishing vessels were sold to Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh provinces... but did not go through the name change procedures and vice versa. Therefore, many vessels, when inspected and controlled, had license plates of this province but in reality, the vessels were transferred to owners in other provinces.
Representatives of the People's Committee of Quynh Lap Commune and the Quynh Phuong Border Guard Station shared: There are ships that only anchor at Lach Con a few times a year. If they violate the VMS connection or their fishing permit has expired, it is difficult to meet the ship owner to verify and inspect.
In Quynh Luu and Dien Chau districts, some fishermen no longer go to sea, their boats are damaged, their papers have expired, but they do not cancel their registration and are afraid of the cost so they do not re-register. In these cases, according to the provincial Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Control, it is necessary to persistently persuade and explain clearly their rights so that fishermen will comply.
To manage fishing vessels entering and leaving ports and serve the need for seafood traceability, recently, the Department of Fisheries has deployed electronic software for electronic seafood traceability management (eCDT) to monitor fishing vessels. However, the declaration rate is still low, as of August 10, Nghe An only had 467 offshore fishing vessels installed eCDT. From now until August 31, the Port Management Board and the Department of Fisheries will continue to encourage ship owners to install it.
Mr. Phan Tien Chuong - Head of Nghe An Fishing Port Management Board
Mr. Mai Hong Phong - Head of the Provincial Fisheries and Fisheries Control Department said: The Department is focusing on processing licenses for the "3 no" fishing vessels on the list and is compiling the "3 no" fishing vessels not on the list to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for comments. With high determination, hopefully the problem of "ghost ships" and "3 no" fishing vessels will be basically resolved.
Nghe An is a province with a large fleet, but inspection and registration services are provided by private establishments outside the province. Although the provincial Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance Department is the focal point for managing the fleet in the area, data information to monitor and urge fishing vessels is quite limited. Therefore, we hope that the central ministries, branches and neighboring provinces will strengthen cooperation and support so that the department can manage and update data on fishing vessels and entry and exit in the area more closely./.
