Increased fines for violations in fisheries activities

The Government has just issued Decree No. 41/2017/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 103/2013/ND-CP dated September 12, 2013, regulating administrative sanctions for violations in fisheries activities, increasing the fines for a number of violations.

Nghe An Fisheries Surveillance fined Dien Chau fishing boats for fishing in the wrong area. Photo by Mai Giang

Specifically, Decree No. 41/2017/ND-CP stipulates a fine of 1-40 million VND for the act of exploiting, transporting, collecting, and storing aquatic products if the volume of aquatic species with a size smaller than the allowable size exceeds the allowable level of mixed exploitation or exploiting aquatic species in the wild that are smaller than the allowable size. For this violation, Decree No. 103/2013/ND-CP stipulates a fine of only 300,000 VND - 12 million VND.

Violations of regulations on prohibited exploitation time, prohibited areas, and prohibited exploitation occupations according to the law will also be fined from 1 to 40 million VND.

At the same time, Decree No. 41/2017/ND-CP also increases the fine for the act of using electric shock devices or directly using electricity from generators on fishing boats or other floating vehicles to exploit aquatic products to 50 million VND instead of 30 million VND as in Decree No. 103/2013/ND-CP.

Decree No. 41/2017/ND-CP also adds penalties for the act of raising, breeding and cultivating wild aquatic species of legal origin without registering the farm. The fine ranges from 1-7 million VND depending on the violation.

In addition, Decree No. 41/2017/ND-CP also amends the fine of 7-100 million VND for fishing vessel owners or captains or organizations and individuals who act as brokers or bring Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen to illegally exploit aquatic resources in the waters of other countries or territories.

The fine for each administrative violation specified above is the fine for individuals. The fine for violating organizations is twice the fine for individuals.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade Information Portal