Tám said that in the last few years, Vietnamese fishermen have faced a number of difficulties, particularly security issues when working at sea. — Photo plo.vn

NHA TRANG (VNS) — Việt Nam has pledged to co-operate closely with other members of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre (SEAFDEC) in its fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vũ Văn Tám.

The 48th meeting of the council of SEAFDEC was hosted by the Directorate of Fisheries on April4, 2016 in central Nha Trang City. More than 100 delegates from 10 Southeast Asian countries and Japan attended the meeting.

Tám said that Việt Nam joined with other countries in making efforts to develop a dialogue for better information exchange, and to settle cases relating to fishing grounds or fishing activities on principles of friendship, humanity and the security for fishermen.

He emphasised the need to launch a hotline among ASEAN countries.

Tám said that in the last few years, Vietnamese fishermen have faced a number of difficulties, particularly security issues when working at sea.

“When it comes to the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, the safety of fishermen and their boats must be taken into account,” he said.

SEAFDEC Director General Wimol Jantrarotai said that bilateral and regional co-operation was very important in effectively addressing illegal fishing.

The 48th meeting of SEAFDEC that lasts until Friday will also discuss sustainable fishing, post-harvest technologies and the management of aquaculture resources.

The SEAFDEC is an autonomous inter-governmental body established in 1967. The mandate of SEAFDEC as endorsed by the 41st Meeting of the SEAFDEC Council is “To develop and manage the fisheries potential of the region by rational utilization of the resources for providing food security and safety to the people and alleviating poverty through transfer of new technologies, research and information dissemination activities.”

SEAFDEC is comprised of 11 member countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Việt Nam. — VNS