Viet Nam affirms strong commitment to removing IUU fishing

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh made the above statement on October 28 while hosting a reception for an inspection delegation of the EC, led by Roberto Cesari, head of the anti-IUU fishing unit of the EC's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

The Vietnamese Deputy PM asserted that Viet Nam's policies and orientations aim to encourage fishermen to conduct fishing activities in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.

The country is actively carrying out marine conservation activities including restoration, regeneration, and development of aquatic resources, assigning a quota of offshore fishing permits and gradually reducing the intensity of fishing in line with aquatic resources, noted Le.

He reaffirms Viet Nam' strong commitment as well as joint efforts by authorities, fishermen, and businesses to prevent and eradicate IUU fishing.

Le suggested the EC and the EU's member countries continue close coordination and provide technical assistance for Viet Nam in realizing proposals of the EC on ending IUU fishing and soon remove "yellow card" on Vietnamese seafood.

For his part, Roberto Cesari said that the delegation spoke highly of Viet Nam's efforts in implementing drastic measures to fight IUU fishing, particularly the Southeast Asian country has made big strides in information transparency and capacity building for fisheries managers in 28 coastal localities.

In the time ahead, Viet Nam should put in place effective management mechanisms with strict legal regulations and ensure consistent and uniform enforcement from the central to local levels, he suggested.

It is necessary to stringently deal with all violations, devise an all-round plan for managing fishery resources and strictly controlling the import of fishery materials for export processing, and eradicate fishermen's infringement of foreign waters, Cesari said./.