Urgent solutions needed to address EU’s warning of IUU fishing: ministry
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked the central coastal provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Phu Yen to take urgent actions and find solutions in response to the EU’s warning about illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
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The illegal fishing in foreign waters must be handled completely and effectively, it noted.
According to the ministry, there remain many shortcomings in implementing solutions to deal with the EU’s yellow card, relating to the supervision and inspection of fishing boats through seaports, illegal operation of fishing boats in foreign waters and the settlement of the violations, and camera installation on vessels.
The EU is Vietnam’s second largest seafood importer, purchasing 350-400 million USD worth of seafood annually, accounting for about 16-17 percent of the total seafood export revenue.
It imposed its “yellow card” ruling on Vietnam in October 2017, after the country failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in the fight against IUU fishing worldwide. Since then, the country’s seafood exports have faced various challenges.
According to EC requirements, the Vietnamese seafood sector had to implement nine recommendations, including revisions of the legal framework to ensure compliance with international and regional rules, applicable to the conservation and management of fisheries resources; ensuring the effective implementation and enforcement of the country’s revised laws; and strengthening the effective implementation of international rules and management measures.
The EC also wanted Vietnam to issue sanctions and increase the level of sanctions against IUU fishing, which should be written in the revised Law on Fisheries, and give concrete evidence proving Vietnam’s efforts in the fight against IUU fishing.
