Quang Nam province to lead IUU fishing prevention efforts

On June 19, a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, led by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, held a meeting with Quang Nam province to discuss urgent tasks and solutions with the goal of addressing the European Commission's (EC) warning on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing prevention.

The province is currently managing 2,116 registered fishing vessels, including 843 vessels measuring from 6 to under 12 meters in length; 631 vessels measuring from 12 to under 15 meters in length; 602 vessels measuring from 15 to under 24 meters in length; and 40 vessels measuring over 24 meters in length. Additionally, the province's total fisheries catch in the first five months of 2024 is estimated at over 38,000 tons.

According to the Quang Nam province's Sub-Department of Fisheries, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee have instructed relevant departments, sectors, and agencies to organize multiple training and direct communication sessions on IUU fishing prevention for local fishing vessel owners, captains, and crew members. As a result, the local fishing community has gradually adjusted their fishing practices and complied with the EC's recommendations.

At present, approximately 99.1% of fishing vessels in Quang Nam have installed a vessel monitoring system. The remaining vessels without an installed vessel monitoring system are either docked, newly acquired from other provinces, or undergoing repairs and modifications. In addition, the province has implemented strict inspection, violation processing, and law enforcement measures. Consequently, the province has penalized a substantial number of local fishing vessels, which had the dual effect of deterring other vessel owners from violating regulations and maintaining compliance.

Vo Van Long, General Director of Quang Nam province's Sub-Department of Fisheries, reported that the province is currently managing a fleet of offshore squid fishing vessels that are at high risk of infringing on foreign waters. Accordingly, relevant local agencies have shifted their focus towards educating and instructing fishermen to comply with legal fishing practices. Consequently, no fishing vessels from Quang Nam province have been detained or penalized for infringing on foreign waters since 2023.

"Despite the achievements, Quang Nam province's fisheries sector still faces several challenges," remarked General Director Vo Van Long. "Due to the absence of designated fishing ports in the northern region, the monitoring of catch volume at ports is less effective compared to the monitoring of total province-wide catch volume. Additionally, local infrastructure for handling harvested seafood is  limited."

Furthermore, the issue of disconnected vessel monitoring systems for offshore squid fishing vessels is prevalent. Violating vessels are only verified after they return to shore, so the accuracy is low. Additionally, several vessel monitoring service providers only monitor remotely without direct verification, which can lead to legal challenges that affect public order and security," added the General Director.

During an inspection at Tam Quang fishing port in Nui Thanh district, Vu Duyen Hai, Head of the Fisheries Exploitation Department at the Directorate of Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), expressed concerns over the contrast between the high rate of vessel monitoring system installations in Quang Nam province, and the significant lack of maintained connections. Consequently, a reevaluation and monitoring of these vessels' status and locations are necessary.

"According to statistics, Quang Nam province reports a modest number of fishing vessels traveling through its ports, with a catch monitoring rate of only 10.7%. Given the European Commission's interest in this issue and the certification of seafood products, the province must focus on inspecting and supplementing manpower at fishing ports to instruct fishermen on fish classification, management, and monitoring of unloading activities, thereby promptly detecting and preventing fraudulent practices in the reporting of catch volumes," Vu Duyen Hai Hai noted.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien emphasized that Vietnam's current legal framework is relatively comprehensive in terms of IUU fishing prevention. However, stakeholders must strengthen their law enforcement efforts, particularly in managing and monitoring fishing fleets. Accordingly, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has requested Quang Nam province to allocate resources to addressing unregistered, uninspected, and unlicensed vessels (the 3 no's).

"Quang Nam has been relatively successful in terms of seafood origin traceability and certification. Additionally, local governments have actively responded to violations and achieved the highest violation handling rate of 40%, compared to the national average of over 10%.

The province has made significant progress in its IUU fishing prevention efforts over the years. However, further efforts are required to fully remove the 'yellow card'. We are confident that under the provincial leadership, especially ahead of the EC's fifth inspection, Quang Nam will lead the country in removing the IUU 'yellow card'," Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien affirmed.