Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến (second right) inspects IUU fishing prevention activities in Bình Định. — VNA/VNS Photo Sỹ Thắng

BÌNH ĐỊNH — Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến on Thursday inspected the implementation of the European Commission (EC)’s recommendations on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Hoài Nhơn Township, the central coastal province of Bình Định.

Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Trần Văn Phúc reported that as of September 30 last year, the province logged 5,360 registered fishing vessels, with 455 regularly operating in southern localities without annual returns to their home port.

Currently, 100 per cent of the local fishing vessels longer than 15 meters are equipped with tracking devices as per regulations. Between last October and now, there have been no fishing vessels from Bình Định violating foreign waters.

Phúc also noted that based on the existing issues and constraints identified by the EC team during their fourth inspection visit to the province from October 12 - 14 last year, authorities have focused on addressing violations, particularly by vessels disconnecting their tracking devices.

Tiến, also the deputy head of the national steering committee on IUU fishing prevention, acknowledged the province's efforts in implementing the EC’s recommendations.

With a hope that Bình Định will become a model for the 27 other coastal localities to follow, he recommended the province review the number of fishing vessels and continue to resolutely handle violations. — VNS