Criticize provinces with detained fishing vessels

There are still 511 fishing vessels without VMS installed

On the afternoon of May 23, in Hanoi, under the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) leadership, the IUU Steering Committee of MARD held a meeting on the status, results of installation, management, and use of VMS devices with relevant agencies and units.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU and Head of the IUU Steering Committee of MARD, presided over the meeting.

The meeting was attended by various agencies and units under the MARD, such as the Fisheries Surveillance Department and the Directorate of Fisheries; representatives from the Ministry of Information and Communications (Radio Frequency Department, Telecommunications Department); the Ministry of Justice (Department of Administrative Violation Management and Law Enforcement Monitoring); the Staff Department of the Border Guard Command; the Staff Department of the Coast Guard Command; Leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development from 28 coastal provinces and cities directly under the Central Government; and Leaders of VMS equipment providers.

At the meeting, Mr Vu Duyen Hai, Head of the Fisheries Exploitation Department, Directorate of Fisheries (MARD), stated that as of May 21, the number of fishing vessels 15 meters or longer that had installed VMS devices was 28,584 out of 29,095 vessels (reaching a rate of 98.25%).

There are still 511 fishing vessels without VMS installed in various provinces. The provinces with many vessels yet to be equipped include Quang Ngai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Tien Giang, Quang Binh, Ben Tre, and Nghe An.

According to Mr. Ha Le, Director of the Fisheries Information Center, Directorate of Fisheries, the average daily connection rate of fishing vessels through the VMS system is currently about 60%; with some provinces maintaining a very high daily connection rate of 70-90%.

However, there are also provinces with many fishing vessels where the daily connection rate is below 50%. Notably, some provinces with only a few hundred vessels, such as Da Nang (28%), Ha Tinh (34%), and Hai Phong (46%), maintain a very low daily connection rate.

With a complete legal framework and strict directives, the issue lies in the implementation

Although the number of fishing vessels equipped with VMS devices is very high, over 98%, many vessels do not maintain operation.

The frequent loss of connection from fishing vessels at sea makes monitoring difficult, as it is unclear whether the vessels are fishing or not. Many vessels turn off the VMS devices when moving fishing grounds, and local authorities are unaware of their location.

There is a sophisticated and organized trend where shipowners and fishermen deliberately disassemble and transfer VMS devices to other vessels to illegally fish in foreign waters. Connection losses also occur due to technical errors from equipment providers.

Mr Hai stated that addressing the issue of fishing vessels violating foreign waters and enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the VMS system is crucial to lifting the IUU 'yellow card' or risk it 'turning colour'.

"However, the current effectiveness and efficiency of the VMS system still have many shortcomings and limitations", emphasized Mr Hai.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien stated: 'We have the 2017 Fisheries Law, effective from 2019; two new decrees, 37 and 38, which amend, supplement, and replace Decrees 26 and 42; 8 circulars and 1 amended circular. Thus, the legal framework is complete.

Additionally, there have been numerous previous directives, conclusions, and decisions from the Prime Minister. The Standing Committee of the Secretariat has also issued Document No. 81 on strengthening leadership and direction for effective IUU fishing prevention. The Secretariat has also issued Directive No. 32-CT/TW on April 10, 2024, on enhancing the Party's leadership in combating IUU fishing. The issue now is in implementation.'

The Deputy Minister directed that, based on the data reported today, units should review how implementation is being carried out.

The Deputy Minister stated that, initially, they will propose that the Prime Minister criticize provinces with fishing vessels detained by foreign countries.

'If every province takes decisive action, we will soon end the situation of fishing vessels being detained by foreign countries and resolve issues related to fleet management, monitoring, controlling, and supervising fishing activities; traceability of harvested seafood; law enforcement, and handling administrative violations,' the Deputy Minister emphasized.

The Deputy Minister acknowledged and accepted the recommendations of various ministries and sectors, affirming that they will collaborate with relevant units to work together with the provinces to decisively and determinedly address and bring these efforts to fruition.

The Deputy Minister suggested that Kien Giang has already prosecuted the first case of IUU violation, and two more cases should be handled soon to show the European Commission that "we are very determined and proactive". The swordfish case, in particular, must be thoroughly and completely investigated.

Furthermore, the Deputy Minister emphasized that handling administrative violations related to IUU activities must be stricter in the future.

"We only have 3 months, and the workload is enormous, but we must get it done", the Deputy Minister emphasized.