Tightens control over illegally-operated fishing vessels

Hundreds of offshore fishing boats have illegally operated onshore in the central coastal province of Binh Dinh, hindering the local efforts to remove the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

As regulated, the offshore fishing boats, including those using drag net, are not allowed to fish onshore, however drag-net fishing is so highly profitable that boat owners have ignored all regulations to operate in wrong routes.

Drag-net fishing boats often go in pairs running parallel to each other and then use large nets with thick eyes and many layers to sweep seafood from the bottom to the water surface. With this type of fishing, small fish to mature fish cannot escape from this net.

According to Dao Xuan Thien, the Director of Binh Dinh Fishing Port Management Board, the province has more than 3,300 offshore fishing vessels, which all are getting into fishing regulations on IUU fishing coincided with the EC’s recommendations.

Thien said most of the local offshore fishing vessels had registered port entry and exit procedures, as well as recording and submitting fishing logs to the management board.

“However, there are still nearly 100 drag-net fishing vessels of total 252 ones still operating despite the lack of necessary papers. Some boat owners have made port entry and exit registration declaration, but not submitted their fishing logs.”

“The violated vessels always landed on the shore at the midnight, not informing the board about its entry an hour before it landed. Many of them have even not registered their entry to avoid the inspection and control of the port management board and relevant agencies,” Thien said.

In an effort to remove the IUU yellow card, Binh Dinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has instructed the Binh Dinh Fishing Port Management Board to strengthen control of the drag-net fishing vessels in the local sea area.

The violations of the drag-net fishing boats in the province is “plentiful”. Many boats have written their fishing vessel registration numbers incorrectly, for example the fishing boat 11127 TS of fisherman Ho Van Lap and the 10884 TS ship of fisherman Vo Van Thanh in Quang Trung Ward of Quy Nhon City.

The most common violation is not obeying the authorities’ inspection and control requirements when entering the port to sell seafood, for example the 91125 TS boat of fisherman Nguyen Van Binh in Tran Phu ward of Quy Nhon City, and the boat 91557 TS owned by Tran Thi Kim Lien in Quang Trung ward of Quy Nhon City.

They were just a few examples in a long list of violators.

Tran Kim Duong, the Deputy Director of Binh Dinh Fisheries Sub-Department, said the illegal operation of many drag-net fishing vessels had caused many difficulties for the province to lift the IUU yellow card as well as affecting the earning of other fishermen, who are operating onshore.

“In terms of State management, the sub-department has coordinated with localities to convince the owners of drag-net fishing boats to complete all papers. If they have any problem, we will support them to solve it,” Duong said.

“If the vessels do not make sufficient papers, we will not allow them to go fishing. If they ignore us, we will tighten inspection and control, giving them a fire according to the regulations,” he added.

From April to the end of August 2020, the Binh Dinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has conducted a plan to strengthen inspection and control against the IUU fishing, in which the department has coordinated with police and border guards to organize inspections and improve awareness for fishermen at Quy Nhon and De Gi seaports.

“The owners of drag-net fishing vessels in Quy Nhon City previously operated very defiantly, ignoring regulations, but now they have listened to us. I believe that with our efforts, all owners will make necessary procedures for legal fishing and understand more about the importance of the removal of the yellow card in the future,” Duong added.