Press Release: Vietnamese fisheries enterprises are consistently committed to combating IUU fishing

After 2 years of EU’s warning of yellow card for Vietnam's caught marine products, Vietnam's marine product export to EU market has been remarkably affected, down 6.5% to nearly 390 million USD in 2018 and continued to level off in the first 8 months of 2019 with 251 million USD. From the second position in Vietnam's seafood import markets, after the yellow card, the EU has dropped to fifth and the proportion of the market has decreased from 18% to 13%.

Recognizing the negative impacts of the IUU yellow card on Vietnam's seafood exports to the EU market and the prestige of Vietnamese seafood products on the world market, identifying the need for sustainable development of the seafood industry, on September 25, 2017, the VASEP Marine Product Committee (VMPC) and Vietnam marine product processing and export enterprises organized the conference " Marine product Enterprises’ Commitment to Combating IUU Fishing". At the conference, the IUU Executive Board was launched, announcing commitments to combating IUU fishing with participation of 62 marine product enterprises and the program's action plan was approved.

After 2 years of persistence with the goal of removing the yellow card and for sustainable development of Vietnam's fisheries, Vietnamese seafood enterprises have been very active in the program's activities: simultaneously hung the board of commitments to combating IUU fishing (in bilingual English-Vietnamese) at the company gates or doors of processing plants, purchase raw materials sourced from legal fishing vessels with clear traceability and only import legally caught seafood, complies with the provisions of the US, EU and Vietnam to combat IUU fishing, participate in seminars, training, propaganda and communication on IUU fishing.

VMPC, VASEP’s IUU Steering Board and enterprises have actively cooperated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Directorate of Fisheries, relevant agencies and localities to implement the recommendations of the EU, reflecting the most in joining, proposing, commenting on amendmemd and completion of the legal framework such as the new Fisheries Law, the Decree guiding the Fisheries Law, the Circular 36/2018/TT-BNNPTNT amending the Circular 26/2016/TT-BNNPTNT, Circular 21/2018/TT-BNNPTNT amending Circular 26, Circular 02/2018/TT-BNNPTNT and Circular 36/2018/TT-BNNPTNT related to catch statement (SC) and catch certification (CC) of wild-caught seafood products, quarantine of imported seafood ... The Circular announcing the list of ports assigned to make SC for wild-caught seafood raw materials ...

The Association sent documents to the Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Assembly, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development reporting and proposing the contents of actions to combat IUU fishing, recomending and proposing for Action Plan to remove IUU yellow card.

Also, VASEP has coordinated and cooperated closely with the parties such as the Coast Guard Command, with relevant ministries and international organizations in the communication and training activities on IUU combating for enterprises and fishermen. In particular, VASEP always maintains a good cooperative relationship with the EC to report and share information about Vietnam's efforts in combating IUU fishing.

In addition to organizing conferences, seminars, training, meetings to communicate and propagandize about Vietnam’s efforts to combat IUU fishing, setting a colum of combating IUU fishing on website: vasep.com.vn, VASEP has widely published publications in Vietnamese and English on combating IUU fishing to the community of business, fishermen, management agencies, and domestic and foreign stakeholders, including:

- White Book on combating IUU fishing in Vietnam

- Map: “Location of the sustainable supply of Vietnamese marine products and tuna in the commitment to combat IUU fishing”

- Posters to propagate ship owners and fishmen to implement regulations under Fisheries Law 2017

In particular, VASEP has collaborated with D-Fish, VTV and other media agencies to make a video clip to propagate ship owners and fishmen to do obligative activities under Fisheries Law 2017, transmitted by more than 30 media agencies and got nearly 800 shares on Facebook and website.  

The main activities of the Program "Marine product Enterprises’ Commitment to Combating IUU Fishing" will be consistently and strongly implemented in coming time: strictly implement the commitments and regulations against IUU fishing, make proposals and recommendations  for legal documents, reflect and propose to remove obstacles in exporting seafood to the EU, strengthen cooperation with relevant parties in the marine supply chain and promote international relations, intensify communication on VASEP information channels and mass media.

After 2 years of implementing the program, VASEP and Vietnam marine product enterprises pledge to work closely and continuously with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, state management agencies and fishermen community with the motto of "Say NO to IUU". We will determine on developing sustainable fisheries and maintaining importing markets of Vietnamese seafood products.

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VASEP MARINE PRODUCT COMMITTEE (VMPC)

IUU Task Force of VASEP

Email: combat_iuu@vasep.com.vn

Hotline : +84 243.7715055 (ext:204) và +84.982195872

Website: http://vasep.com.vn/1454/Tin-Tuc/Chong-khai-thac-IUU.htm

              http://seafood.vasep.com.vn/747/whybuy/combat-iuu-fishing.htm

Facebook: VASEP_Combat IUU