At the Nghệ An point, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Nguyễn Văn Đệ, presided over the conference. Attending the event were leaders from relevant departments, sectors, and units. In his report at the conference, the Vice Chairman noted that since the fourth inspection by the EC's Inspection Team, under the decisive direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the strengthening of legal education for fishermen, the monitoring and inspection of vessels entering and exiting ports, particularly the enforcement of penalties through the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), have been strictly implemented. As a result, awareness and compliance among ship owners and captains have improved, legal violations during exploitation at sea have decreased, and fishing vessels now operate within designated areas without infringing on foreign waters.
To effectively combat IUU fishing in the coming time, the Nghệ An Provincial People's Committee requested that MARD promptly announce the types of VMS equipment that meet the standards set forth in Government Decree 37/2024/NĐ-CP. Additionally, VMS equipment suppliers should improve the quality and signal of the monitoring devices and develop solutions to promptly notify ship owners when VMS devices lose connection to address the issue.
At the Bình Định point, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Nguyễn Tuấn Thanh, attended. Currently, Bình Định has 5,306 registered fishing vessels, with about 40% operating nationwide, primarily in southern provinces. Over 500 vessels regularly fish and dock outside the province annually without returning home.
Following the fourth inspection by the EC Inspection Team in October 2023, Bình Định has rigorously implemented the directives of the Secretariat, the Prime Minister, the conclusions of the National Steering Committee on IUU, and the EC's recommendations on combating IUU fishing. The province has focused on increasing registration and licensing for fishing, strictly monitoring fishing vessel operations at sea and ports, and managing high-risk vessels that might violate foreign waters. Additionally, Bình Định has enforced traceability of seafood, monitoring all landed seafood at designated ports to ensure proper origin verification, and has rigorously handled IUU violations.
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At the Phú Yên point, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Đào Mỹ, along with leaders from relevant departments, attended the conference. Despite implementing aggressive measures against IUU fishing, the province faces challenges such as inadequate personnel, equipment, and infrastructure for vessel management and control. Fishermen's compliance remains low, with some avoiding registration and licensing, especially vessels between 6 to 12 meters long. Long-term use in salty water environments frequently damages VMS devices, leading to frequent disconnections.
In Khánh Hòa, the conference was led by Nguyễn Khắc Toàn, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Nguyễn Tấn Tuân, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; and Trần Hòa Nam, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. The provincial leaders reported on the final handling of verification and certification records of three enterprises and two imported fishing vessels. Khánh Hòa has completed these tasks in accordance with Vietnamese law and international practices.
At the Trà Vinh point, participants included Kim Ngọc Thái, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Lê Văn Hẳn, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; provincial department leaders, and district, town, and city officials. Trà Vinh currently has over 880 fishing vessels, with nearly 276 vessels over 15 meters long operating offshore. All vessels have installed VMS equipment. The province has aggressively implemented measures to combat IUU fishing and efforts to lift the EC's "yellow card" warning. Trà Vinh has no vessels detained for violating foreign waters.
In his concluding remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang emphasized strict enforcement of IUU regulations starting August 1, 2024. Localities must be prepared to implement Resolution 04/2024/NQ-HĐTP of the Supreme People's Court, which guides the application of certain provisions of the Penal Code regarding criminal prosecution for illegal fishing activities. Vietnam will strictly handle cases of brokerage and organizing illegal fishing expeditions in foreign waters and falsifying records for seafood shipments.
Resolution 04, comprising 11 articles, guides the application of 10 provisions of the Penal Code, serving as a legal basis for strictly handling cases involving illegal fishing activities and contributing to the sustainable development of the fishing industry. The primary targets for prosecution include masterminds, brokers, and organizers of illegal fishing expeditions, and repeat offenders, but not those employed by the offenders.
The Directorate of Fisheries is required to collaborate with relevant agencies to widely and clearly disseminate Resolution 04. Authorities must increase the frequency and intensity of vessel monitoring and enhance the traceability of seafood. MARD and localities are to form teams for thorough inspections to provide timely solutions. Combating IUU fishing is an urgent task for the entire political system, as highlighted in Directive 32-CT/TW of the Secretariat, Government Resolution 52/NQ-CP, and other related directives.
Directive 32 underscores the direct responsibility of party committees and leaders at all levels to achieve the goal of lifting the "yellow card" warning by 2024 and maintaining sustainable outcomes, thereby contributing to socio-economic development. The legal framework for combating IUU fishing has been further refined, with notable measures including Government Decree 37/2024/NĐ-CP, which amends Decree 26/2019/NĐ-CP on the implementation of the Fisheries Law 2017.
The Government has also issued Decree 38/2024/NĐ-CP, replacing Decree 42/2019/NĐ-CP on administrative penalties in the fisheries sector, largely meeting the EC's recommendations. MARD issued Circular 06/2024/TT-BNNPTNT on May 6, 2024, amending Circular 23/2018/TT-BNNPTNT, which covers fishing vessel registration, inspection, safety, and marking.
Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang commended and encouraged localities to implement their policies to support IUU combat efforts, as central resources cannot meet all local needs. He called for collective efforts from ministries, sectors, and localities to effectively implement Directive 32-CT/TW, Resolution 04, and other measures in a focused campaign over the next three months to lift the IUU "yellow card" warning during the upcoming EC inspection.
Ngoc Thuy (Hai Dang translated)