Quang Ninh (VNA) – The northern coastalprovince of Quang Ninh has made significant progress in accomplishingrecommendations by the European Commission (EC) on Vietnamese seafood, aspart of its efforts to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

According tothe provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, five out of theEC's seven recommendations for Quang Ninh have been met. They includecontrolling the port entry and exit of fishing vessels, strengtheningmanagement and improvement of the registration and licensing system forfishing, installing boat tracking devices, ensuring food safety on fishingboats, and punishing violators of IUU fishing rules.

Over 3,850ships in Quang Ninh have registered with the national fishing vessel database.There have been no reports on illegal encroachment of foreign waters. All of its 210offshore fishing boats, more than 15m in length, have tracking devices and owna fishing license and a food safety certification.

The provinceis set to have all fishing vessels granted licences by the end of 2022.

It hasestablished 10 temporary ship monitoring stations to keep a watch on portentry and exit of the fishing ships and fish unloading activities.

In 2017, theEC issued the "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese seafoodexports to its market because of insufficient efforts to meet the EC'sregulations to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing.

Since the issuance of the "yellow card",Vietnam has been working hard to comply with the requirements stipulated by theEC.

Apart from Quang Ninh, other coastal localities havealso been implementing recommendations from the EC to fight IUU fishing.

The southern province of Kien Giang, one of the 28coastal localities, has rolled out various policies and activities to raiselocals' awareness of the 2017 Law on Fisheries.

Le Huu Toan, Deputy Director of the provincialDepartment of Agriculture and Rural Development, said all boats in Kien Giangthat operate offshore and measure 15m and above in length have been equipped with monitoringdevices. 

Since late 2021, no violations have been detected inthe province, the official said, adding that Kien Giang will continue effortsto deal with limitations in the fight against IUU fishing this year.

The south-central province of Ninh Thuan has alsotaken measures against illegal fishing, including communication activities andwarnings.

Dang Van Tin, head of the provincial department offisheries, said apart from monitoring devices, his agency has sent engineers tosupport fishermen off Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Kien Giangprovinces.

Over the past two years, Ninh Thuan has organised 70training courses for 3,000 boat owners, captains and fishermen, with 2,300 owners committing not to operating illegally in foreign countries' waters.

Thanks to free trade agreements (FTAs) andadvantages of quality and diversity, Vietnamese seafood products have seentheir competitiveness improve across the world market.

To ensure sustainable maritime economic development,the coastal localities have stepped up aquaculture efforts.

The Directorate of Fisheries under the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development said as of late 2021, aquaculture farmscovered 260,000ha with a combined output of 600,000 tonnes.

For Quang Ninh, the province will upgrade itsfishing ports and wharves, offer fisheries logistics services in Co To and VanDon districts, and establish three key fishing centres in combination with aquacultureand key fishing grounds in localities and two seafood trade centres in Ha Long.

It will also develop logistics infrastructure tomake it a sector providing high added value in tandem with promoting foreigntrade.

Quang Ninh has prioritised eco-friendly high-techindustrial sectors, manufacturing and processing such as shipbuilding andrepair, and cruise tourism, while boosting connectivity between shipbuildingand support industries and encouraging foreign investment in support industriesfor shipbuilding.

It will develop the processing of aquatic productsby using modern technology and improving efficiency, with a focus on foodsafety, to meet the quality standards demanded by major markets globally.

Quang Ninh will also make use of the achievements ofIndustry 4.0 to switch from the export of raw materials to deep processing,thus creating added value and saving marine resources.

At the same time, it will study several industriesin service of the marine-based economy, seaport-logistics services, the newmaterials industry, tourism, and entertainment./.