Can the EC’s recommendations be addressed before the "zero hour"?

	Seafood enterprises propose solutions to address specialized inspection issues
	Highest determination to remove IUU "yellow card".

CSB 1011 ship working group is propagating anti-IUU fishing to fishermen. Photo: CSB

Nearly 100% of fishing vessels over 15 meters have installed monitoring devices

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's (MARD) report on its work with the EC on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, after the 4th inspection, the EC continued to highly appreciate Vietnam's efforts in fighting IUU, especially in completing the legal framework and improving vessel management, traceability, and sanctioning IUU fishing activities.

To remove the "Yellow card" for Vietnam, the MARD has urged the resolution of local issues and limitations; achieving positive progress in implementing Government’s Decree No. 37/2024/ND-CP and Decree No. 38/2024/ND-CP. Additionally, the EC requested an update and report on the progress of combating IUU fishing and the implementation of the EC's recommendations before September 15, 2024, to assess the situation and decide on the timing of the 5th inspection in Vietnam, which will determine whether the "Yellow card" can be lifted based on the actual results.

The EC also acknowledged that nearly 100% of fishing vessels over 15 meters in length in Vietnam have installed monitoring devices. However, the EC has warned that Vietnam must prevent and address illegal fishing activities in foreign waters and be more stringent in sanctioning IUU fishing activities, particularly those involving the disconnection of VMS and illegal fishing in foreign waters. Regarding the monitoring and control of fishing vessel activities at ports, the report noted that the quantity of seafood from harvest unloaded at ports remains low compared to the fleet size. Therefore, stricter measures are needed to monitor local seafood production (including private and traditional fishing ports) to ensure traceability. Furthermore, harvested seafood products not landing at regulated ports should not be exported to the European market.

Among the coastal provinces and cities nationwide, Quang Ngai currently has a large number of fishing vessel violations that have not been thoroughly addressed. As of May 2024, the total number of fishing vessels licensed to fish under quotas is 3,665 vessels, achieving 86.62%. Of these, 2,921 vessels are over 15 meters in length, achieving 94.41%. For fishing vessels over 15 meters in length (under local management), by May 2024, 558 vessels had violations related to loss of connection at sea for over 10 days, but only 256 vessels have been dealt with, leaving 302 vessels (still within the time limit) unresolved. Through the monitoring system, authorities have detected 250 vessels crossing the permitted boundary at sea, of which 34 cases have been addressed, leaving 216 vessels unresolved. For vessels over 24 meters in length, according to the Directorate of Fisheries, as of May 2024, 59 vessels had lost connection, with eight vessels addressed, leaving 51 vessels with violations (still within the time limit) unresolved.

At a conference on handling violations of fishing vessel monitoring (VMS) regulations and implementing the eCDT system, Nguyen Van Muoi, Director of the Quang Ngai Fisheries Department, stated that penalizing vessels for disconnection of monitoring devices in the area faced difficulties. Besides the disconnection issue, the management and monitoring of seafood production and traceability in our country are still inadequate.

Implementing seafood traceability through eCDT software

To address these issues, the Directorate of Fisheries has developed and implemented the Electric Catch Documentation And Traceability (eCDT) System. This system will integrate and synchronize data on fishing vessel activities, control seafood production from harvest, manage confirmation and certification of origin at fishing ports, fisheries departments, and seafood purchasing, processing, and exporting enterprises, ensuring transparency and legality in the control of exported harvested seafood products. Experts believed that the implementation of eCDT was a significant step forward in efforts to lift the EC's "Yellow card" and improve the management of the seafood industry.

Tran Dinh Luan, Director of the Directorate of Fisheries, stated that the eCDT has been implemented in many fishing ports and would continue to be refined and implemented uniformly nationwide. In the near future, vessel owners will be encouraged to use the traceability software on tablets. Simultaneously, fishing ports and provincial fisheries departments will guide and support enterprises in using this software to synchronize data and ensure transparency. Regarding the issue of disconnected vessels, the Director of the Directorate of Fisheries hoped that coastal provinces would share their experiences in penalizing, clearly categorizing, and providing specific numbers of inactive or grounded vessels to develop appropriate solutions. Vessels engaged in marine activities must strictly comply with regulations.

"In October 2024, the EC delegation is expected to visit Vietnam. If the authorities are 'powerless' against IUU fishing violations, the 'Yellow card' may turn into a 'Red card.' Therefore, violations in foreign waters must decrease. Strict management of vessels from departure, harvesting at sea, unloading at ports, and sanctioning violations is essential. We are proud to be the world's third-largest seafood exporter, but our management and traceability are still outside the top 100 globally. Therefore, there must be uniformity in management, traceability, and transparency in origin and processing for export. Only then can we establish a Vietnamese seafood brand and promote the sustainable development of the seafood industry," stated Luan.