The Standing Committee of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee recently organized a conference to assess the situation and efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the province.
According to information disclosed at the conference, Thanh Hoa is home to over 6,000 fishing vessels of various types, including more than 4,200 vessels operating in the coastal zone, over 700 in the lagoon area, and over 1,000 in offshore waters. The fisheries sector employs more than 25,000 people in the province, with tens of thousands more engaged in seafood processing and ancillary services.
In line with the recommendations of the European Commission to combat IUU fishing, the provincial authorities, including departments, branches, and the People’s Committees of coastal districts, towns, and cities, have intensified their efforts. This includes propagating and training fishermen on legal regulations related to fisheries exploitation, protection, and aquaculture, as well as measures to prevent IUU fishing.
Since the beginning of the year, provincial authorities have mobilized forces and formed inspection teams to monitor and control fishing activities at sea, river entrances, and fish ports. They have also monitored fishing vessels through the vessel monitoring system. As a result, 105 violations have been detected and fined, with a total penalty of over VND 1.13 billion…
However, there are still issues with fishing vessels that do not meet the requirements entering and exiting ports and participating in fisheries exploitation. Additionally, there are cases of fishing vessels unloading their catch at spontaneous fishing ports, such as De Channel (Hau Loc) and Bang River in Hai Binh Ward (Nghi Son Town).
Some vessel owners have also modified their engines and changed their fishing methods to prohibited or restricted practices (such as trawling), making it impossible for them to obtain registration and permits as per regulations.
The infrastructure of fishing ports and typhoon shelters for fishing vessels needs timely investment and upgrading to meet the requirements of the European Commission regarding traceability of fisheries products and combatting IUU fishing…
To address these issues, Mr. Lai The Nguyen, Vice Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, requested the People’s Committee of Thanh Hoa Province to establish an inter-branch working group. This group will be tasked with reviewing violations and providing consultations to decisively handle them in each locality, aiming to resolve all identified issues by September 30, 2024.
The Standing Committees of the Party Committees of the coastal districts, towns, and cities, especially the secretaries and chairmen of the People’s Committees, must take direct leadership and consider this an important political task. They should focus on resolutely directing and resolving these issues from now until September 30, 2024.
It is suggested that the coastal districts, towns, and cities also establish their own task forces, led by the chairman of the People’s Committee, with the participation of the authorities of the coastal communes and the functional branches of the district. This will ensure effective and decisive handling of the situation.
Mr. Nguyen requested the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to take responsibility for directing the handling of violations in vessel registration, inspection, and licensing, ensuring that there are no more “three no” vessels.
The Border Command of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Border Guard was assigned to coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the local authorities of the districts and communes to strengthen the inspection, control, and strict management of all fishing vessels entering and exiting ports, river entrances, beaches, and spontaneous fishing ports.
They should resolutely handle cases of vessels operating without proper procedures, disconnecting from the voyage monitoring system, or violating their registered fishing areas and methods. Additionally, the Border Guard Posts should clarify the reasons why fishing vessels with violations were allowed to leave the port, and why those detected with violations were not penalized.
Mr. Nguyen suggested that the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee hold a conference every 10 days with the chairmen of the People’s Committees of the coastal districts and communes and the functional forces. This will allow for the inspection and evaluation of the situation and provide an opportunity to direct the handling of arising issues that need to be resolved. It will also help bring about a breakthrough in complying with fisheries laws in the province.
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