Vietnam maintains efforts to fight IUU fishing

Vietnam is striving to prevent, reduce and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in an effort to remove the European Commission (EC)’s ‘yellow card’ warning as part of a scheme on IUU fishing prevention and control by 2025.

The scheme, approved recently by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh, aims to monitor fishing activities, protect marine resources and ecosystems, and develop Vietnam's fisheries towards sustainability, responsibility and international integration, thus contributing to improving people's lives, ensuring national security and defence, and protecting the country's sovereignty.

By 2025, all fishing vessels with a length of 15m or more will be inspected before leaving port to ensure all documents and equipment are completed as prescribed; 100% of fishing vessels of 15m or more must be monitored through the Fishing Vessel Journey Monitoring System when at sea and will be inspected when entering port; 100% of aquatic output from domestic fishing must be inspected and supervised when loading and unloading at fishing ports according to regulations; and 100% of seafood from foreign catches arriving at Vietnam's seaports must be inspected and monitored in accordance with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s 2009 Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA).

To that end, Vietnam will focus on intensifying communications on IUU fishing prevention and control; completing a legal framework, mechanisms and policies; investing in upgrading and completing fisheries infrastructure and consolidating organisational apparatus; and enhancing the capacity of fishing ports.

Attention will be paid to improving the capacity and efficiency of patrols, inspections and controls at sea, promoting law enforcement, tracing the origins of aquatic products, and realising international treaties and agreements, and enhancing international cooperation.

In October 2017, the EC issued a "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese seafood exports after Vietnamese fishermen violated IUU regulations.