Fishing vessels in Tắc Cậu fishing port in the Mekong Delta province of Kiên Giang. — Photo thuysanvietnam.com.vn

KIÊN GIANG — The Mekong Delta province of Kiên Giang has implemented a 180-day action programme of European Commission recommendations to lift the Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUU) of the fisheries sector until May 2023.

According to the Deputy Chairman of the Kiên Giang People's Committee Lê Quốc Anh, the province is requiring local authorities to inspect all fishing boats entering or leaving the province for necessary documents such as a safety certificate, a fishing licence, and food safety certification.

In addition, there is also a requirement to make a list of those at high risk of engaging in IUU fishing so as to monitor them, such as ships that do not activate vessel monitoring systems (VMS) for 10 days or violate foreign waters. 

Local authorities are also arranging more inspectors to track the origins of seafood at the Tắc Cậu fishing port in Châu Thành District and An Thới Port in Phú Quốc Island. 

The European Commission's working delegation on the four recommendations for lifting IUU in Việt Nam is expected to visit Kiên Giang Province by the end of the second quarter of 2023. 

According to the Steering Committee on IUU in Kiên Giang Province, the province currently has 3,642 fishing vessels longer than 15 metres in length that have tracking devices. — VNS