Da Nang People's Committee Vice Chairman Ho Chi Minh City has approved a plan to conduct effective inspections and monitoring activities in the fishing industry, with a focus on tracing the origin of local seafood catches in a transparent manner. 

Fishing vessels being anchored bumper-to-bumper at the Tho Quang Fishing Wharf

Also under the plan, specific testing standards will be issued to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in order to have the European Commission’s IUU ‘yellow card’ revoked. 

Accordingly, relevant local agencies will increase their inspections and monitoring activities in fishing vessels right before their departure for trips at the Tho Quang Fishing Wharf and at the border checkpoints of Thanh Ha, Man Quang and the Han River.

In addition, origin declarations will be made out on all kinds of seafood which are brought to the Tho Quang Fishing Wharf.

Penalties will be imposed on any violations of the city’s regulations on fishing activities along coastal areas and inshore waters which are under the city’s administrative management.

Besides, the Fisheries Control Office, which is in charge of inspecting and monitoring the operations of vessels at local fishing wharves and anchorages, will be established in the coming time.

In October 2017, the European Commission issued a yellow card warning Viet Nam for failing to progress in fighting IUU fishing, and gave the country 6 months to rectify the situation.

A delegation from the European Commission’s (EC) Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, which will visit Viet Nam from 16-23  May to inspect the country’s implementation of the EC’s 9 recommendations related to the fight against IUU fishing.

Through its planned field trip, the EC delegation will observe the time of unloading of foreign transport refrigerated ships at Vietnamese ports, and have technical working sessions with the Vietnamese side on imported seafood materials.

After the inspection, the EU will give its final decision over whether it seeks to withdraw the ‘yellow card’ from Vietnamese offshore seafood.