Quảng Ninh Border Guard seized a fishing vessel charged with IUU activities in October 2023. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The inspection delegation from the European Commission (EC) acknowledged and highly evaluated Việt Nam's efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, especially the Government and Prime Minister’s political resolve and direction, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến.

The EC delegation conducted the fourth inspection on the issue in the southern provinces of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu and Bình Định from October 10 to 18.

They spoke highly of the right direction and strong instructions from the Vietnamese Government and agreed with the country that the shift to a responsible fishery industry has recorded improvements, Tiến said.

He noted that in terms of the legal framework, the delegation agreed on two draft decrees amending the Government’s Decree No. 26/2019/ND-CP, which details measures for enforcing the Law on Fisheries, and Decree No. 42/2019/ND-CP, which stipulates administrative fines in the fishery sector.

However, the key problem is that the implementation results in reality remain modest in monitoring fishing vessels and the punishments for violations and committing fraud, the official pointed out.

The inspectors asked authorities to control materials imported by container ships and levy fines for vessels that leave Việt Nam's waters as tracked by vessel monitoring systems (VMS).

The EC delegation also recommended localities strictly enforce the legal regulations in the Law on Fisheries, especially the rules on VMS installation and vessel registration, licensing and marking, according to Tiến.

He said that the delegation will have to report inspection results to the EC’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries before a conclusion on the removal of the “yellow card” warning for Việt Nam is issued.

The Deputy Minister demanded leaders of coastal provinces and cities to prevent vessels from violating anti-IUU fishing rules in foreign waters.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will quickly put into use the electronic origin tracing system, continue sending delegations to examine localities' efforts and propose punishments for collectives and individuals who don't follow the rules, he added. — VNS