Inspectors from European Commission’s Directorate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries are expected to visit Vietnam in late October to evaluate the “yellow card” warning that the bloc imposed on Vietnam in 2017, according to a statement from Vietnam’s Fisheries Directorate last week.
In April this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also said the inspectors would visit the country by early June, but no announcement of a visit or of its results has been made.
The E.C. had yet to respond to SeafoodSource's request for comment as of Tuesday, 2 July.
Reports from Vietnam’s Directorate of Fisheries showed that last year, 137 vessels with 1,162 fishermen were found illegally fishing in foreign waters, including in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Brunei, up from 91 vessels in 2017. In the early months of this year, that number was 46 vessels with 96 fishermen.
The violations have not been curbed because penalties on violators are not strong enough, and loose management of authorized agencies, especially in offshore areas, has contributed to the situation, according to the report.
Agriculture Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong in April acknowledged Vietnam has not effectively implemented four out of the nine recommendations issued by the E.C, including failures to control illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and traceability issues.
Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung last month demanded that all related parties prevent Vietnamese fishers from illegally fishing in waters outside its territory, according to a government statement.
The Ministry of Public Security has been asked to investigate those working as intermediaries to send fishers to foreign waters, and those registering fishing vessels with counterfeit plate numbers to intrude foreign waters. The ministry should press criminal charges when necessary to ensure deterrence, the prime minister asserted.
The prime minister also asked the Ministry of National Defense to tightly manage all fishing vessels as they arrive or leave docks, and impose harsh punishments on those conducting IUU fishing.
Dung also directed authorities of 28 coastal cities and provinces across the nation to cooperate closely with the Ministry of Agriculture in working with delegations from the E.C. upon their eventual inspection visit to the country. Local authorities will have to take responsibility if they fail to fight against IUU fishing, Dung said.
