‘If you don’t know about IUU regulations, you’d better stay home’

From “fishing for the people” to “fishing with responsibility”

Fisherman Dang Hoai Vu lives in Hon Ro, Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa. He is the captain of fishing boat KH 90217 TS and specializes in fishing striped bonito, frigate tuna and sailfish. According to his information, during the sea trip throughout the Lunar New Year, many ships returned to the port with good results. After Tet, Mr. Vu spent VND 200 million to prepare 6,000 liters of oil, 600 ice blocks along with other necessities for his ship, ready to go out to the sea again for another 20 days.

“In order to contribute to removing the yellow card of the European Commission (EC), the crew has committed to performing fishing without encroaching on foreign waters, only around Truong Sa fishing grounds and rigs in the waters of Vietnam. My ship has also installed cruise monitoring equipment and always turns on the device when in operation," said Mr. Vu.

According to the Representative Office of Fisheries Inspection and Control at Hon Ro Port, fishermen in Khanh Hoa are now well aware and complying with IUU regulations. The authorities will be notified when ships leave the port. All activities during the fishing process are recorded in the fishing diaries and submitted to the authorities in full. When the ship is about to dock at the port, the fishing vessel control team will be informed and notified through the communication channel 1 hour in advance to arrange inspection staff.

As for Binh Dinh province, the province’s Sub-Department of Fisheries stated that people’s awareness of the Law on Fisheries and IUU fishing prevention has greatly increased thanks to the functional forces strengthening management solutions and strictly controlling the procedure and paperwork for fishing vessels entering and leaving the port.

“Through information dissemination and training sessions, most of the offshore fishermen have a grasp of the Law on Fisheries, IUU regulations and implemented it intendedly. The story of the IUU yellow card has become a well-known topic among Binh Dinh’s fishermen. If you don't know about it, you’d better stay home and not go to the sea," said Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Chau (Cat Khanh commune, Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh), ship owner and captain of the steel-hulled fishing boat BD 99169 TS.

Mr. Tran Van Phuc, Director of Binh Dinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said “Fishing has gradually changed from being an occupation of the people to an occupation of responsibility and compliance with regulations. The most important thing about this work is the awareness of fishermen, especially for the province's offshore fishing fleet. As a result, the number of fishing vessels violating IUU fishing has decreased year by year.”

Propaganda helps change mindsets

Thanks to the fishermen's increase in awareness about IUU fishing, from 2019 up to now, Phu Yen province has not received any news of fishing vessels violating foreign waters and being arrested.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tri Phuong, Deputy Director of Phu Yen Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Phu Yen province has soon had a full grasp of the guiding documents from Central and local authorities concerning the prevention of IUU fishing, and replay information to fishermen as well as related organizations and individuals.

Coordinating with the Department of Fisheries Surveillance, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, the province’s Department of Information and Communications and Farmers' Association, Phu Yen Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has organized many conferences, training and information sessions related to the state management of seafood for the local community.

Thanks to widespread propaganda measures and strict sanctions, over time, most fishermen in Quang Nam province have also been aware of their role to work with the authorities to soon remove the IUU yellow card.

According to Mr. Le Quang Dung (Tam Quang commune, Nu Thanh district, Quang Nam), owner of the fishing boat QNa 91039 TS, the job of fishing at sea used to heavily rely on the experience passed down from the older generation. No one actually knew about the fishing regulations.

Therefore, on every trip to the sea, fishermen’s one and only concern was to catch as many fish and shrimp as they could. They didn’t need to notify anyone and follow any regulations when fishing at sea. Whenever they saw a spot with a lot of fish, the fishermen would stop the boat and release the net.

“But since the Quang Nam government and the provincial Border Guard spread the word about IUU fishing and mobilized people to sign a commitment not to violate foreign seas, every trip to the sea now has made me and many other people more conscious of our actions and strictly follow the regulations when operating at seas,” said Mr. Dung.