29th session of National Steering Committee on combating IUU fishing

On January 6, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà chaired the 29^th meeting of the National Steering Committee on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. At the Quảng Ngãi site, the meeting was chaired by Đỗ Tâm Hiển, Vice Chairman of the Quảng Ngãi Provincial People’s Committee.

Reporting at the meeting, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment stated that it had completed and submitted a report on IUU fishing prevention to the European Commission, ensuring comprehensive, accurate and consistent data, and clearly demonstrating Việt Nam’s political commitment and efforts to combat IUU fishing.

The Ministry is also finalizing a draft Directive of the Prime Minister to strengthen leadership and comprehensive, decisive implementation of IUU countermeasures, focusing on strict fleet management, port entry and exit control, and strict handling of violations to prevent new offenses.

In Quảng Ngãi, the province has issued timely directives, mobilized resources and implemented coordinated solutions against IUU fishing, yielding positive results. Fishing vessel management has been tightened, with 100 per cent of vessels entering and leaving ports monitored and seafood traceability via the eCDT system ensured.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà requested ministries, sectors and coastal localities to continue allocating resources and strictly implementing IUU prevention measures in line with Government directives, aiming to remove the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning and promote sustainable and responsible fisheries development.

He stressed strict management of fishing fleets, control of port operations, and decisive handling of violations, particularly acts of document falsification and fraud in the seafood supply chain. Local authorities are responsible for completing case files and imposing administrative sanctions in accordance with regulations.

The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to enhance guidance and training for localities on fisheries database management, while urging provinces to promptly review, update and synchronize data, ensure full and accurate seafood traceability, strengthen inter-sector coordination, intensify patrols at sea, and combine enforcement with communication and livelihood support for fishermen, contributing to the early lifting of the IUU “yellow card”.

Minh Thiện