Fishermen Eagerly Set Sail at the Beginning of Spring
	Gia Lai Determined to Remove IUU “Yellow Card” for Fisheries

The meeting was held in person at Government Headquarters and connected online with 22 coastal provinces and cities, ahead of the fifth inspection mission of the European Commission (EC) to Vietnam. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Head of the Steering Committee, chaired the meeting.

The 31st meeting of the National Steering Committee on Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing. (Photo: Government Newspaper)

According to VNA, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested ministries, sectors, and localities to continue conducting comprehensive reviews and assessments of IUU prevention efforts. This should not be limited to administrative sanctions but must include verification of the full implementation of directives issued by the Government, the Prime Minister, and the Steering Committee. Authorities were urged to promptly address inconsistencies and lack of synchronization among data systems, ensuring unified and accurate data ready for explanation during the EC’s fifth inspection mission.

Localities must strictly implement and fully report on assigned tasks, focusing on thoroughly addressing shortcomings identified through inspections and audits. Reports must avoid general explanations and evasion of responsibility. Authorities are required to complete reports on seafood traceability and self-declaration reports by seafood processing and exporting enterprises, while strengthening fleet management, particularly of “three-no” fishing vessels and vessels that have lost VMS connectivity.

The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to take the lead, in coordination with relevant ministries, agencies, and Vietnamese representative missions abroad, in urgently developing a working program with the EC inspection delegation. This includes clearly defining the subjects, content, objectives, requirements, and necessary documentation, along with specific responsibilities assigned to each agency, unit, and individual.

Ministries, sectors, and localities must prepare sufficient documentation and personnel to ensure readiness to work with the inspection delegation at both policy and technical levels.

In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that from now until the EC’s fifth inspection mission takes place is a critical period. Members of the Steering Committee must focus on inspections, remedying shortcomings, and preparing all necessary conditions to ensure consistency, continuity, and accountability throughout the implementation process.

According to reports presented at the meeting, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has conducted technical exchanges and updated IUU prevention results as requested by the EC, while also preparing a comprehensive report on IUU prevention from 2017 to the present. To date, 100% of locally registered fishing vessels have been updated in the VNFishbase system. Localities have reviewed, updated, and publicly announced 19,042 deregistered vessels to serve management, inspection, and control purposes, while assigning grassroots authorities to directly manage vessels that do not meet operational requirements at their mooring locations.

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