Fishing boats return after offshore voyages to Doc River port, Trần Văn Thời district. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến on May 23 emphasised the management of the fishing fleet, traceability, and strict administrative punishment for violations of regulations on the vessel monitoring system (VMS) as the key issues in ending illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing while addressing an online conference on May 23.

The conference was held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to implement Dispatch No. 49/CD-TTg on detecting and handling violations of the VMS regulations.

Tien said in a recent working session between a MARD delegation and the European Commission (EC), the EC pointed to limitations during the implementation of the VMS regulations in localities, despite adequate legal documents and strong political determination in Vietnam.

It is a must to strictly handle violations of VMS regulations, especially those committed by above-15m-long boats, the official said, noting that merely commitments or warnings are not accepted by the EC.

Ha Le, Director of the Fisheries Information Centre under the MARD’s Directorate of Fisheries, said as of May 21, 2024, up to 98.25% of boats measuring at least 15m long had been equipped with VMS devices.

However, only about 60% of them maintain daily connection, he said, adding that many vessels have disconnected since 2019, which has hampered monitoring efforts by competent forces.

He also pointed to shortcomings in the handling of such violations, the loose coordination between forces in localities, along with wrongdoings by VMS suppliers.

Director of the Fisheries Resources Surveillance Department Nguyen Quang Hung asked localities to review and dispose vessels no longer operational, and take more drastic actions in investigating and handling violations. — VNS