Ben Tre Implements Comprehensive Measures Against IUU Fishing
The People’s Committee of Ben Tre province has issued a plan to enforce the Party Central Committee Secretariat’s Directive No. 32-CT/TW, dated April 10, 2024. This directive focuses on enhancing the Party’s leadership and direction in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as promoting the sustainable development of the fisheries sector. The aim is to raise public awareness about the critical role and importance of these initiatives.
In response, Ben Tre is rigorously and effectively implementing legal regulations on fisheries and measures to combat IUU fishing. The province is determined to achieve the goal of having the European Commission lift its “yellow card” warning on Vietnamese seafood exports in 2024.
Efforts include managing fishing activities, protecting seafood resources and marine ecosystems, and developing the fisheries sector sustainably, responsibly, and with international integration. This approach is designed to improve the livelihoods of coastal communities.
Key targets include updating 100% of fishing vessels in the national fisheries database (VNFishbase), monitoring and supervising 100% of vessels operating at sea through the vessel monitoring system (VMS), and inspecting all vessels with a maximum length of 15 meters or more for operational conditions when arriving and leaving the port.
All fishing vessels, both within and outside the province, and those from other provinces operating in Ben Tre, are under strict control, with violations being severely punished.
According to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Nguyen Minh Canh, achieving these goals requires improving the effectiveness of communication, dissemination, training, and advocacy to raise awareness and a sense of responsibility for preventing IUU fishing.
The province is implementing solutions to reduce fishermen’s dependence on fishing and has invested in completing fishing port infrastructure and storm shelters for fishing vessels in Ba Tri and Binh Dai districts.
Statistics from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development show that 98.58% of Ben Tre’s ships are currently equipped with VMS devices. Since the beginning of the year, no local vessels have been arrested or dealt with by foreign countries.
In recent years, alongside planned communication programs in key communes, the province has maintained weekly dissemination efforts against IUU fishing through SMS messages sent to fishing boat owners and captains.
