Vietnam updates EC on efforts to combat IUU fishing

Participants at the working session (Photo: VNA)

A technical mission of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), led by Deputy Director General of the Directorate of Fisheries (D-Fish) Nguyen Quang Hung, held a working session with the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG-MARE) of the European Commission (EC) on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) on July 6-7.

The delegation updated the EC side on Vietnam's progress in implementing the EC’s recommendations made by its inspection team to Vietnam in October 2022.

The two sides discussed and agreed a number of issues related to provisions in the Decree amending Decree No. 26/2019/ND-CP on transferring quotas of fishing licenses; the use of fishing vessel monitoring system (VMS); responsibilities of suppliers of VMS installed on fishing vessels; the control of the legal origin of fishing vessels imported into Vietnam; and designated fishing ports.

They also considered the amendment of Article 70 on control under the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), and the supplement of regulations on control of aquatic products originating from fishing activities imported into Vietnam by container ships.

The Vietnamese side informed the EC side on the pace of deploying the management of offshore fishing vessels and vessels' movement through ports, and supervision of fishing output at ports; the implementation of the Capture Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Protection Plan; the fisheries management plan; the traceability work to ensure that shipments exported to the European market are legal; and the enforcement of law with a focus on handling vessels violating foreign waters and building a database on the handling of such violations from central to local levels.

According to Hung, the two sides have basically reached agreement on discussed issues and the DG-MARE also agreed with the work that Vietnam has carried out.

The EC suggested that Vietnam take stronger measures to combat illegal fishing and put an end to fishing boats violating foreign waters, as well as to handle fishing vessels that lose VMS connection, he said.

The MARD and DG-MARE are scheduled to hold an online dialogue in September to continue to exchange and update the implementation of recommendations before the EC sends its inspection team to Vietnam to examine the country’s efforts on IUU fishing prevention and control in October.