The 32nd meeting of the National Steering Committee on Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing

At the Hung Yen provincial bridge point, the meeting saw the participation of the Provincial Party Committee’s Member Lai Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and Head of the Provincial Steering Committee on IUU; and leaders of relevant departments and agencies.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Lai Van Hoan and delegates attend the meeting at the Hung Yen provincial bridge point.

At the meeting, leaders of ministries, agencies, and localities reported on and reviewed the results of the implementation of tasks from February 25th to March 3rd; it focuses on clarifying the implementation progress of the Government’s and Prime Minister's directives on combating IUU fishing and preparing for the 5th meeting with the European Commission (EC) Inspection Team.

Delegates attend the meeting at the Hung Yen province’s bridge point

In general, in coastal localities, the management of fishing fleets continues to be tightened. The installation and maintenance of vessel monitoring systems (VMS), control of fishing vessels entering and leaving ports, and traceability of seafood have shown positive progress. Many localities have reviewed and definitively resolved cases of VMS disconnection according to regulations. Propaganda and signing of commitments with ship owners and captains have been strengthened. Patrol, inspection, and handling of violations are maintained regularly.

Ministries, sectors, and localities agreed to continue assigning responsibility to the heads of departments in combating IUU fishing. Inspection and supervision at fishing ports and at sea are strengthened. The solutions to ensure relevant data "accurate, complete, clean, and active" continue to be implemented; simultaneously, thorough preparation of content and documents is underway for the meeting with the EC Inspection Team.

In Hung Yen province, from February 25th to the present, the fight against IUU fishing has continued to yield positive results. The province has 4 vessels that do not meet the requirements due to expired registration and licenses, and these are being closely monitored by the local authorities. Furthermore, the province has not experienced any cases of connection loss exceeding 6 hours, crossing boundaries, or violating foreign waters. The electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT) has resolved technical issues, ensuring 100% of vessels declare their arrival and departure times.

Currently, Hung Yen province is focusing on completing the documents and content for the 5th EC Inspection Team’s meeting, determined to work with the rest of the country to lift the "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese fisheries.

In his directive speech at the meeting, the Prime Minister requested that ministries, sectors, and localities, according to their functions and authority, closely adhere to the five recommendations of the EC, and prepare well for the upcoming fifth meeting of the EC. He also urged continuous efforts in information and communication regarding the fight against IUU fishing, ensuring transparency, honesty, continuity, and widespread impact. This will enhance awareness, responsibility, obligations, rights, and self-discipline among the people in contributing to the sustainable development of the fisheries sector; and mobilize the participation of relevant stakeholders, the business community, and the people in combating IUU fishing. He emphasized the need to absolutely prevent any violations related to the EC's recommendations. The goal is to achieve the dual objective of both lifting the "yellow card" and developing a sustainable fisheries sector.

He also assigned specific tasks to relevant ministries, sectors, and localities, including instructing the Standing Agency of the National Steering Committee - the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment - to prepare a comprehensive plan for the sustainable development of the fisheries sector, focusing on key areas such as occupational transformation, aquaculture, and reducing offshore fishing; coordinating with ministries, sectors, and localities to prepare the necessary conditions and reports to welcome the EC delegation to Vietnam, and being ready to report, exchange, and explain issues of concern to the EC…; and simultaneously reviewing relevant databases to ensure they are "accurate, complete, clean, and active," interconnected, and shared to serve activities in the fisheries sector.