Inspectors from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries are in Vietnam from 5 to 14 November to evaluate the yellow card imposed on the country's industry two years ago.
Tran Dinh Luan, Director of the General Department of Fisheries under Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the inspection team will work with Ho Chi Minh and other coastal provinces starting on 5 November before heading to Hanoi on 9 November. Work with his agency will take place from 11-13 November, local media quoted Luan as saying on Monday, 4 November.
On 14 November, the inspectors will report the outcomes of their investigation to Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, who is also head of the National Steering Committee on IUU fishing.
Twenty-eight coastal cities and provinces have prepared agendas for working sessions with the team from E.C.
Since the E.C. issued the yellow card warning to Vietnam in October 2017, the country has fine-tuned a number of measures involving the Law on Fisheries 2017, including two decrees and one decision of the Prime Minister, and eight circulars guiding the enforcement of the Law on Fisheries by the agriculture ministry.
Additionally, over 31,500 fishing vessels have been experimentally equipped with journey monitor systems. Since 2018, the agriculture ministry has sent about 20 inspection teams to localities to work and guide them on how to fight IUU fishing.
The yellow card was imposed on Vietnam in October 2017, and since then, the E.C. has been conducting a review of Vietnam’s fisheries and seafood-related policies to determine which route it will take out of three options available: Maintaining the country’s yellow card status; issuing a red card, banning all seafood imports from Vietnam; or rescinding the yellow card and allowing the country to resume normal trading relations.
The commission’s carding system is the E.U.’s main tool in the fight against illegal fishing. It encourages countries to work with the commission to improve their fisheries governance and retain access to E.U. markets.
Photo courtesy of Toan Dao/SeafoodSource
