Leaders of relevant agencies in coastal localities must be held accountable for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, said Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh as part of a push to create conditions for the European Commission (EC) to lift its IUU fishing warning on Vietnamese seafood.  

PM Pham Minh Chinh made the statement while chairing a conference on fighting IUU fishing in Hanoi on Wednesday which was attended virtually by officials from 28 coastal provinces and cities and focused on measures to strictly prevent and control IUU fishing in preparation for the fifth inspection by an EC mission slated for October this year.

Since the fourth inspection by the EC in October 2023 and after seven years of implementing tasks and solutions to combat IUU fishing, Vietnam has achieved positive results which have been recognized by the EC, according to some reports delivered at the conference. 

However, there remain a number of shortcomings and limitations that need to be addressed so that the EC can remove the IUU fishing ‘yellow card’ warning it has imposed on the Vietnamese seafood industry since October 2017.

Based on these reports, PM Chinh declared that the leaders of all concerned localities and relevant agencies must be held responsible for any IUU fishing that occurs within their jurisdictions.

He requested that local authorities eliminate the ‘three-nos’ for fishing boats: no inspection, no registration, and no license, all of which are required by EC inspectors.

Acts of illegal exploitation, trade, and transport of seafood must be punished criminally under provisions of the Vietnamese Penal Code, PM Chinh emphasized.

He also tasked the Ministries of Public Security and National Defense with coordinating with local governments to investigate and prosecute all IUU fishing cases.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development must monitor and report the implementation of regulations against IUU fishing to the government.

The ministry must also create a proposal detailing how agencies that do not fulfill their duties and tasks should be dealt with. 

The ministry must also make careful and thorough preparations for the EC’s fifth IUU fishing inspection and ensure the industry can avoid any incidents that may affect the country’s efforts to have the yellow card warning removed, PM Chinh told the conference.

The defense ministry is required to strengthen patrols in sea areas bordering other countries in order to promptly prevent vessels from illegally fishing in foreign waters.

All authorities of coastal localities where IUU violations have been recorded so far this year must report the handling of these infringements to the central government within next month.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP) and seafood enterprises should comply with regulations on combating IUU fishing, and must not purchase, process, or export of seafood derived from IUU fishing.

Any collusion in preparing documents to legalize seafood stemming from IUU fishing is absolutely banned, the PM said.

He also required the Vietnam Fisheries Society to ask its members to follow regulations on anti-IUU fishing, promptly report to authorities of violation acts, and contribute to activities to prevent the issue.

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