Binh Thuan (VNA) – The south central coastal province of BinhThuan has joined hands in the nation’s efforts to fight illegal, unreported,and unregulated (IUU) fishing so as to have the European Commission (EC)’s“yellow card” warning removed.

On September 5, a training conference was held for localdissemination officials and the local radio and television station by theMinistry of Information and Communication’s Department of Grassroots Information and the provincialDepartment of Information and Communication in Phan Thiet city.

Deputy head of the Department of Grassroots Information Le Huong Giang saidthat effectively-controlled fishing will help maintain aquatic resources andecosystem, ensure sustainable development of the fishery sector, increasepeople’s living conditions and maintain national security in sea areas.

Deputy head of the Directorateof Fisheries’ Department of Aquatic Resource Conservation and Development PhamNgoc Tuan stated that from now until December 31, Vietnam has to focus onseveral main solutions to address the “yellow card” warning, including theestablishment of an effective management mechanism from central to local levelsthat enforces policies against IUU fishing, and the intensified supervisionover fishing vessels which are able to conduct IUU fishing in foreign waters.

Tuan stressed the need to revoke Movimar satellitegeo-positioning devices installed in fishing vessels of below 24 metres inlength and install them in those of 24 metres and over in length.

Ship owners are asked to open Movimar devices around theclock, he added.

Meanwhile, Giang highlighted the importance of intensifyingdisseminations to encourage fishermen to stop IUU fishing and strictly obeyVietnamese and international laws.

The EC issued a yellow card warning to Vietnam last year,after the country failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in the fightagainst IUU fishing worldwide. While the measure was only considered a warning,which should not technically affect the EC’s trade policy, the Vietnamesefishing industry was concerned that the yellow card would seriously harm thereputation of Vietnamese seafood worldwide, and thus weakening sales.

To address IUU fishing activities, the EC evaluatesexporting countries. Countries that fail to meet EC standards are issued a"yellow card" warning, followed by a "green card" if issuesare resolved or a "red card" if they are not. A red card can lead toa trade ban on fishery products.

According to EC requirements, the Vietnamese seafood sectorhad to implement nine recommendations in six months from October 23, 2017through until April 23, 2018.

The nine recommendations included revisions of the legalframework to ensure compliance with international and regional rules,applicable to the conservation and management of fisheries resources; ensuringthe effective implementation and enforcement of the country’s revised laws; andstrengthening the effective implementation of international rules andmanagement measures.

The EC also wanted Vietnam to issue sanctions and increasethe level of sanctions against IUU fishing, which should be written in therevised Law on Fisheries, and give concrete evidence proving Vietnam’s effortsin the fight against IUU fishing.

A working delegation from the EC’s General Directorate forMaritime Affairs and Fisheries visited Vietnam from May 16-24 to inspect the country’simplementation of these recommendations. However, Vietnam failed to carry outall nine recommendations well.

The EC inspectors will return to Vietnam in January 2019 toreview the country’s progress in addressing its “yellow card” warnings.–VNA