The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved a plan to implement urgent solutions in response to the European Union’s (EU’s) warning about illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Many solutions have been devised according to the EU’s recommendations. They include aligning the legal framework with regional and international regulations, implementing effectively the amended legal regulations for IUU fishing, and implementing effectively the international regulations and management measures through strict punishment.

In addition to this, Viet Nam will address the shortcomings in the monitoring system to serve the certification of the origin of aquatic products, improve the fishing boat management system, enhance cooperation with regional countries, and comply with regulations on fisheries data collection and report.

Viet Nam was served with a yellow card warning by the EU in September for failing to combat IUU fishing, and it has been offered the opportunity to take measures to rectify the situation within six months.

To this end, the EC has proposed an action plan for the country. The yellow card is followed by a green card if issues are resolved or a red card if they are not. A red card can lead to a trade ban on fishery products.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development plans to organise a national conference with 28 coastal cities and provinces to discuss the IUU issue and provide them with technical guidance to ensure their compliance with IUU fishing regulations.

Viet Nam has favourable geographical conditions to develop its seafood industry, thanks to its long coastline of over 3,260km and more than 3,000 islands and islets.

Fisheries is a key sector, whose output has been consistently rising in the recent years.

The country hopes to become a leading seafood exporter by 2020.

Last year, Viet Nam earned US$1.2 billion by exporting aquatic products to the EU, $357.8 million of which was from seafood shipments. The figure hit nearly $1.05 billion in the first nine months this year. — VNS