The threat of a bad report card from the European Union has alarmed the more than 30,000 Vietnamese commercial traditional trawlers considered at risk of being deemed uncooperative in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. With EU officials expected to return to Vietnam next week for a reassessment of Vietnam’s violations, the fishing industry has been fast-tracking measures to correct its marine practices. In the process, Vietnam may become a model for ASEAN countries.

Vietnam is pushing to implement recommendations from the European Commission in advance of a new round of inspections that the country’s leaders hope will lead to the elimination of a warning label it received from the commission last year.

Vietnam has been active in implementing nine recommendations related to the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing of the European Commission (EC) to ensure responsible and sustainable fisheries, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Nguyen Xuan Cuong.

The People’s Committee of Da Nang has promulgated a plan on fisheries inspection across the central city to ensure the origins of aquatic products.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Illegal fishing will not be purchased by businesses, which makes ocean tuna fishers do not violate illegal fishing.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On April 25, at the Seafood Expo Global organized in Brussels, Belgium on 24-26 April, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in cooperation with Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) and the Vietnam Embassy in Belgium, held a press conference.

April 23, 2018 marked the deadline of the six-month period given to Vietnam to improve performance in preventing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing under the European Commission (EC)’s yellow card warning.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre recently held three training courses to raise public awareness of the necessity to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has proposed urgent measures to tackle the European Commission’s illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) yellow card in March as the EU will assess Vietnam’s efforts to fight IUU fishing in April.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Following the action plan of the Program "Marine product enterprises committed to combating IUU fishing”, on Feb 1st 2018, Vietnamese marine product companies have simultaneously hung the board of commitments to combating IUU fishing at the company gates or doors of processing plants. This is one of the actions demonstrating the determination of the Vietnamese enterprises in combating IUU fishing, protecting the prestige of export marine products and for the sustainable development of Vietnamese fisheries.

With the aim to disseminate information on Vietnam's efforts and solutions to tackle IUU, communicate to the EC and other relevant organizations and individuals, to make a difference in the awareness and actions of the competent agencies and people directly implementing the IUU regulations, such as fishing port management boards, fishermen/fishing vessel owners, seafood processors and exporters ... on January 12, 2018 VASEP officially released the "White Book on Combating IUU fishing in Vietnam".

In 2008, the European Commission (EC) issued Regulation 1005/2008 on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). According to the regulation, the countries exporting exploited products to the European Union (EU) must comply with the regulations on IUU.

The revised Fisheries Law was passed by the National Assembly on November 21, 2017, including two chapters on fishing and fishing vessel management. Section 4 in Chapter IV of the Law containing two articles 60 and 61 on illegal fishing, details 14 acts that are considered as illegal fishing and the certification of fishery origin from exploited.

The Fisheries Law (amended) has been passed by National Assembly delegates at the 4th session of the XIV National Assembly. The amended Fisheries Law has new points to facilitate the development of the island marine economy, raise awareness and responsibility in the management of fisheries resources under the international law on IUU fishing (illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing). Related to this issue, the VNA correspondent had a talk with Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development – Mr. Vu Van Tam.