The EC’s Inspection Delegation will come to work on IUU from October 10–18

The Inspection Delegation of the European Commission (EC) is expected to include representatives of the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG-MARE) and the EC Delegation to Vietnam.

The goal of the working trip is to evaluate the results of implementing the EC's recommendations at the EC's "yellow card warning" announcement on October 23, 2017. Which, the trip focuses on checking the delegation's recommendations after the third inspection in October 2022 to draw conclusions about whether to remove or maintain the "yellow card" warning for Vietnam's exploited seafood products.

The expected inspection content is to check the results of implementing the EC's recommendations on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, with a focus on controlling fishing vessels violating foreign waters, controlling fishing vessels entering and leaving ports and operating at sea, controlling imported raw materials, and tracing the origin of exploited seafood.

It is expected that the EC’s Inspection Delegation will conduct field inspections and technical work from October 10–17. To be more specific, on October 10, the delegation will arrive in Vietnam.

On October 11–15, the delegation will work with the Department of Animal Health, the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development, and a number of export enterprises to conduct field inspections at designated fishing ports under the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) and in the locality.

On October 16–17, the delegation will conduct technical work with the Department of Fisheries Inspection, the Department of Fisheries Surveillance, the Department of Animal Health, the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development, and related units.

On October 18, the delegation had a high-level dialogue with leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It is expected that on the afternoon of October 18, Government leaders and the Head of the National Steering Committee for IUU Fishing Prevention and Control will welcome the delegation.

In the scenario of welcoming and working with the EC’s Inspection Delegation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development clearly stated the goals: Continue to affirm Vietnam's strong commitment to combating IUU fishing; move towards harmonizing international regulations; and ensure the sustainable development of Vietnam's fisheries exploitation industry.

Create trust and mutual understanding regarding the present situation, efforts, and determination of Vietnam in combating IUU fishing, as well as in transforming from small-scale fisheries to responsible fisheries with sustainable development through the implementation of the Law on Fisheries 2017.

Demonstrate proactively strengthening cooperation with the EU in promoting and effectively implementing the EC's recommendations at the "yellow card warning" on IUU fishing.

Following the third inspection in October last year, the EC continues to recommend Vietnam focus on addressing four main groups of issues, including legal frameworks, management and supervision of fishing vessels, traceability, and law enforcement.

In addition to the promulgation of policies against IUU fishing and for a sustainable and responsible fishery industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has also reduced the number of fishing vessels and their capacity in accordance with the EC’s recommendations.

Data on fishing vessels is also updated in the national fisheries database (VNFishbase), while the number of ships measuring 15 meters or above is also limited. The vessel monitoring system (VMS) is also installed on 97.86% of vessels with a length of 15 meters or longer. According to authorities, the remaining ships are being listed for monitoring, with most of them out of operation.

The navy and coast guards, as well as patrol teams on fisheries, have also been coordinating in key areas to prevent vessels from violating foreign waters.

However, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that while Vietnam has been making progress in fisheries, challenges still remain. A report from the MARD showed that, currently, the country has only been able to control half of the vessels entering seaports for traceability.

Meanwhile, since the beginning of the year, 39 vessels and 252 fishermen from Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Ben Tre, Bac Lieu, Tien Giang, Ca Mau, and Kien Giang provinces have been arrested by foreign authorities for their violations in other countries' waters. Besides, there are still cases where the VMS devices were removed and transferred to other ships to avoid law enforcement.

Therefore, according to the EC’s Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG-MARE), Vietnam has to take more strict measures in preventing IUU fishing and foreign waters violations with 100% of the cases investigated and handled, including those of vessels arrested at foreign waters and ships that do not maintain monitoring devices according to regulations.