Requesting Ba Ria – Vung Tau to plan for the reception of EC Delegation on IUU

In document No.2982, signed by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, the Ministry requested the provincial authorities of Ba Ria - Vung Tau to focus on leadership and direction in combating IUU fishing, as well as to prepare for the fifth inspection by the EC Delegation, scheduled to take place at the end of May this year.

Therefore, Ba Ria – Vung Tau was instructed to improve the management of the implementation procedure and assign local competent agencies and authorities to inspect, review, and ensure that all fishing vessels fully comply with the regulations on fishing activities, including marking the vessel with paint and displaying the registration number in accordance with Circular No.23. Simultaneously, they must set up a listing of 181 fishing boats that have been removed from registration on VNFishbase between May 8, 2023, and April 10, 2024. The list should include explicit reasons and the current status of each fishing vessel.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has instructed Ba Ria - Vung Tau province to closely monitor the docking locations of fishing vessels that do not comply with the requirements for fishing activities. These include 1,095 unregistered fishing vessels, 1,100 fishing vessels without permits, 1,153 fishing vessels with expired registration, 61 fishing vessels without VMS (Vessel Monitoring System) installed, and 417 fishing vessels that have lost VMS connection for over six months.

There is a strong determination to prohibit fishing boats that do not satisfy the requirements from conducting fishing activities. Owners are strongly urged against allowing fishing gear and equipment to be used on board. There will be strict surveillance of fishermen and fishing vessels that pose a high danger of breaching foreign fishing zones.

Furthermore, the province needs to strengthen the inspection, regulation, and penalties imposed on fishing boats that engage in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing inside fishing ports and offshore regions. Additionally, measures should be taken to prevent fishing vessels from unlawfully offloading their catch at unapproved locations (undesignated fishing ports). Enforcing continuous connectivity of VMS devices on fishing boats via monitoring and mandatory laws.

The Ba Ria - Vung Tau province should enhance its supervision and direction over fishing ports, Border Posts/Stations, and Fisheries Sub-departments. Additionally, it should provide clear instructions to fishermen and enterprises on the implementation of electronic catch documentation (eCDT). This includes ensuring that all fishing vessels entering ports obtain approval, submitting fishing logbooks and cargo discharge records through ports, issuing receipts for unloaded marine products, and providing certificates of origin and source of the marine products via the eCDT system.

Agencies, units, and companies regularly update data to several national databases, including VNFishbase, eCDT, VMS, the administrative penalty database, and Google Sheets of the Fisheries Department. These updates occur on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, depending on the specific tasks of each entity.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development suggests Ba Ria - Vung Tau province create specific plans for hosting and collaborating with the EC Inspection Team for the fifth time within the province. The objective is to guarantee security, safety, and adherence to legal regulations, and to submit a report on the outcomes of IUU fishing prevention efforts to the Ministry (via the Directorate of Fisheries) by May 20, for the purpose of summarizing to the Prime Minister.

The province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau is now adopting stringent steps to participate in the country's efforts to welcome the EC delegation for the inspection and removal of the IUU yellow card. Since August 2022, there have been no instances of fishing boats from the province being apprehended or subjected to legal proceedings by foreign troops for breaching foreign fishing zones.