Vietnam intensifies battle against illegal fishing
The European Commission is scheduled to conduct its 5th inspection to determine Vietnam’s compliance with illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing regulations this month.
Vietnamese law enforcement forces are steeping up efforts to implement EC recommendations to meet the requirements of this inspection.
The Border Guard has installed large signs and instruction boards at fishing ports so that fishermen can read the fishing regulations before going out to sea. They’ve also directly disseminated the regulations to sailors, checked the status of equipment, and encouraged fishing boat owners to sign a commitment not to violate the regulations.
Colonel Vu Van Hung, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Border Guard, said that they have been provided with devices to monitor all activities of fishing vessels at sea.
“During patrols, we’ll coordinate closely with other forces to disseminate information, monitor activity, and handle any violations,” said Hung.
Duong Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the Fisheries Surveillance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said law enforcement forces are deployed along maritime borders to disseminate information and check for violations.
“Vietnam will continue to negotiate MoUs with countries sharing the same sea area, especially in the Western Sea, on the delimitation of the waters, to serve as a legal foundation for the management of fisheries, fishing vessels, and law enforcement,” said Cuong
