Removing the IUU yellow card - Action instead of exhortation:Close coordination on shore and at sea

The Border Guard is the core

Bài liên quan

Removing the IUU yellow card - Action instead of exhortation: Each person has a job

After approximately 7 years of combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, it must be affirmed that Ha Tinh province’s grasping throughly and assigning specific tasks to each force, unit, and locality is very methodical, effective, and efficient.

Currently, the core forces onshore to combat IUU fishing are units under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Party Committees, and governments of communes and wards. And at sea is the Border Guard.

Earlier this year, to prepare well contents working with the EC’s 5th Inspection Delegation, contributing to removing the "yellow card" with the whole country, Ha Tinh Border Guard opened a peak campaign against IUU fishing. The implementation period is from January 27 to April 30, 2024, with the spirit of no exceptions, no restricted areas, and strict handling of violations.

The results recorded so far show that the Provincial Border Guard has coordinated with 7 maritime border guard units stationed in Nghi Xuan, Loc Ha, Cam Xuyen, Ky Anh districts, and Ky Anh town to implement 15 patrols at sea, with about 110 officers and soldiers participating. They have discovered and arrested many trawlers who were fishing in the wrong areas and on the wrong routes.

Particularly during the patrol from February 18 to 25, five trawlers with 29 crew members were detected and arrested for illegal seafood exploitation. Specifically, four Nghe An fishing vessels violated the law with 24 fishermen; one is a Ha Tinh fishing vessel with 5 fishermen in Cam Nhuong commune, Cam Xuyen district.

In addition to inspection trips with reinforcements from the Provincial Border Guard, 7 Maritime Border Guard Stations have also developed plans and arranged forces and vehicles to organize separate patrols in the waters and estuaries assigned to manage and protect. Thanks to regular and drastic intervention, no exceptions, no restricted areas, and strict handling of violations, illegal fishing activities, especially trawlers operating in the wrong sea areas, have completely decreased. Recent patrols did not detect additional violations.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Nhan Hung, Chief of Cua Sot Border Guard Station, said that the actual situation of fishermen catching seafood by trawling in the wrong areas and using banned substances still occurs in the waters assigned to the station to manage and protect. Therefore, the station always strictly grasps the spirit of direction from superiors, strengthening patrols and controls associated with border protection, protecting sovereignty over seas and islands, and maintaining security and order at sea. When detecting fishing vessels violating illegal fishing activities, chase them and strictly handle them.

According to the law, trawlers must operate at least 24 nautical miles from the coast (particularly 15 nautical miles from the shore in Ky Anh's deep-water waters), but recently there have been continuous occurrences of trawlers exploiting waters at only 5–6 nautical miles from shore; some ships even blatantly exploit waters less than 2 nautical miles from shore.

The reason determined is that from February to July every year, seafood species will come close to shore to reproduce. Understanding this rule, many fishermen have disregarded the law, exploited destructively, and depleted seafood resources for profit.

Fisherman Nguyen Van Hong, Cam Nhuong commune, Cam Xuyen district, said: "The meshes of the trawl are small and thick, and they are equipped with electric shock or using explosives, so all types of seafood, from large to small, from the bottom to the surface, are being overfished, affecting the marine ecological environment, aquatic resources, and the livelihoods and income of near-shore fishermen. On the other hand, trawles are also very aggressive; many times they pulled away the fishing tools of small boats, causing great damage."

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hong, many times in Cam Xuyen waters, there have been disputes over fishing grounds, causing loss of security and order at sea. Therefore, fishermen in Cam Nhuong in particular and Cam Xuyen district in general wish the functional branches, especially the Border Guard forces, to regularly have peak patrols to suppress, repel, and prevent trawlers.

Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Nguyen, Deputy Commander of the Ha Tinh Border Guard, said that during this more than 3-month patrol period, the Provincial Border Guard will promote its "leading" role in coordinating and disseminating fishermen to strictly comply with regulations on IUU fishing; direct professional forces to strengthen patrols day and night, in all weather conditions, to promptly prevent and deter illegal fishing activities at sea; implement measures to manage aquatic resources, control fishing forces, and ensure sustainable use of aquatic resources.

In the immediate future, the province's forces will try to coordinate 3–4 more joint patrols, with each station organizing 2-3 separate patrols; regularly patrol the estuary area; strictly control boats; and detect and promptly prevent violations. Besides, the Border Guard will also coordinate with relevant functional agencies, especially district and commune governments, to review and grasp the actual operating status of fishing vessels and thoroughly handle the group of “3 no” fishing vessels (no registration, no inspection, no license).

Strict punishment

According to the Government’s Decree 42/2019/ND-CP on administrative sanctions in the fisheries sector, organizations and individuals violating regulations on illegal fishing acts will be administratively handled or criminally prosecuted, depending on the level of violation. The maximum fine in the field of state management of fisheries is VND 1 billion for individuals and 2 billion VND for organizations.

Based on the legal regulations and directions of the Ha Tinh Provincial IUU Steering Committee, since the beginning of 2024, functional forces in the area have resolutely handled violating fishing vessels, with no restricted areas.

In 55 sessions of patrol and control at sea and estuaries by functional forces, including the Provincial Border Guard, Provincial Police, and Fisheries Surveillance, since the beginning of the year, 11 fishing vessels violating regulations on fishing activities have been detected, with an administrative fine of more than VND 187 million.

For example, on February 18, in Nghi Xuan waters, about 8 nautical miles from shore, the patrol force of Lach Ken Border Guard Station (Ha Tinh Border Guard) discovered and arrested two trawlers owned by Mr. Nguyen Van. Thanh and Nguyen Dinh Hung, both residents of Nghe An province, together with 16 crew members, who were exploiting seafood in the wrong area, depleting aquatic resources.

After being caught red-handed, the functional force brought the fishing vessel back to shore and made a record to confiscate illegal fishing tools and disseminate to ship owners and fishermen about regulations against IUU fishing. At the same time, advise the Nghi Xuan District People's Committee to impose an administrative fine of VND 25 million.

Another case that demonstrates the strictness of the law is the case of Mr. Bui Van Khanh's fishing vessel in Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province, which was caught red-handed by the Cua Sot Border Guard Station with the following violations of illegal fishing: The captain has no certificate; the fishing vessel safety technical certificate has expired; and there is no fishing vessel crew directory book. For the above errors, the functional force imposed an administrative fine on the ship owner of VND 32.5 million.

"We love fishermen, but they must respect the law. If people do not self-realize the seriousness of violating regulations against IUU fishing to overcome it, sooner or later the marine fishing profession in particular and the fisheries sector in general will be seriously affected," said Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Nguyen, Deputy Commander of the Ha Tinh Border Guard.

At the same time, Mr. Nguyen wishes fishermen to raise their awareness and responsibility for complying with legal regulations when going out to sea.

Since 2023, the Ha Tinh Border Guard alone has discovered and arrested 61 cases of illegal seafood exploitation at sea and imposed an administrative fine of more than VND 1 billion.