Ho Chi Minh City (VNA)🐼 – Coastal localities in the Mekong Delta continue making efforts tobetter prevent and control illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing ahead of the fourth fact-finding trip by a EuropeanCommission (EC) delegation this October.

The EC issued a “yellow card” warning forVietnam in terms of IUU fishing in 2017. It will be followed by a "green card" if the problem is resolved. Meanwhile, a “red card” may lead to a ban on aquaticexports to the EU. Kien Giang province has the largest fishing fleet in the country with 9,845fishing boats with the length of six metres or more, including nearly 4,000 offshore-fishing vesselswith the length of at least 15 metres. From the beginning of the 2020 - 2025 term, theKien Giang provincial Party Committee issued a resolution to strengthenleadership in IUU prevention and control. As a result, after half a term implementing the resolution, the number of fishing vessels violating the lawhas gradually decreased. According to Kien Giang Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, the unit has currently completed registration procedures for1,820 fishing vessels and the installation of vessel monitoringequipment for all the fishing vessels. The department has supervised the loading and unloading of16,850 tonnes of seafood through local ports, certified the origin of seafood for12 businesses, and issued 102 certificates oforigin of seafood which are exported to the European market. The provincial border guard posts have focused their personnel and vehicles to enhance IUU prevention and control. The border guards coordinated with other forces such as thenavy, coast guard, police, and army to patrol the waters, and to prevent, detect and handle violationsrelated to IUU fishing. LieutenantColonel Duong Van Hon, Commander of the Border Guard Command of Duong Dong PortBorder Gate, said that the unit established more than tenteams and four checkpoints to support each other in inspecting and supervisingfishing vessels. They also increased communication works, giving out leaflets andletters calling on people to fight against IUU fishing. In the southernmost province of Ca Mau, the Rach Goc BorderGuard Station assigned staff on duty all the time to supervise fishing vessels. All vesselswith the length of over 15 metres must install journey monitoring equipment. HoSong Toan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tran Van Thoi district said that the committee has directs specialised agencies to dailyupdate IUU data. The district is completing a database on vessels which havetheir fishing licences expired or those are unused. It continues to coordinate closely with agencies inpropagating and disseminating the Fisheries Law and regulations on IUUprevention and control so that fishermen have better awareness on the issue. Meanwhile, Tien Giang province has established an inspectionteam to combat IUU fishing. The province continues to implement the inter-sectoralcoordination mechanism between ministries, central departments and branches andthe People's Committees of 28 coastal localities in exchanging and processinginformation to prevent and put an end to violations of Vietnamese fishingvessels in foreign waters. DeputyDirector of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ca Mauprovince Chau Cong Bang said that the province pay much attention to overseeingthe operation of private fishing ports including the exit/entry of fishingvessels to the ports and the loading/unloading of seafood products at theports./.