Countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and removing "yellow card" of the European Commission are an important task of the Military today. Performing well this task not only promotes socio-economic development, but also makes an important contribution to maintaining a peaceful environment, firmly protecting sovereignty, sovereign rights and national jurisdiction at sea. Bearing this in mind, together with the Government, functional agencies and authorities of coastal provinces, the Military has drastically and synchronously deployed solutions to combat the above-mentioned violations of seafood exploitation and management and gained encouraging results.

As a coastal country with over 3,260 km of coastline, more than 01 million square kilometres of sea area and over 3,000 islands, including two large offshore islands of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, Vietnam has several advantages for socio-economic development, national defence and security maintenance in the cause of national construction and defence. Fully aware of that, over the years, the Communist Party and State of Vietnam have issued many resolutions and strategies on marine economic development in association with national defence and security assurance. Many guidelines and policies have been promulgated to support and encourage fishermen’s offshore fishing, contributing to economic development and the protection of the sea and island sovereignty. However, during their fishing process, a number of fishermen did not comply with Vietnamese laws as well as international regulations seriously, so the European Commission (EC) has imposed a "yellow card" warning on the Vietnam's seafood industry, exerting great pressure on the country's seafood exports to the world market.

Faced with that situation, implementing its assigned functions and tasks, the Military, together with levels and sectors, has implemented synchronous solutions to counter IUU fishing and determines to have the "yellow card" removed for the fisheries industry. Implementing Decision No. 81/QD-TTg, dated February 13, 2023 of the Prime Minister on the promulgation of the “Action Plan against IUU fishing, preparing for the 4^th working session with the Inspection Delegation of the European Commission”, the MND’s Steering Committee on IUU Fishing issued Plan No. 127/KH-CQTT on combating IUU fishing in 2023 and instructions for junior agencies and units to implement. At the same time, it has directed the forces of Border Guard, Coast Guard, Navy, Fisheries Surveillance to strengthen management, grasp the situation at sea, have check and control of activities of fishing vessels at sea in a bid to prevent, reduce and stop IUU fishing together with the whole political system.

The Border Guard and the Coast Guard forces conduct legal dissemination for fishermen on Bach Long Vi island (Photo credit: canhsatbien.vn)

Thanks to the drastic and synchronous efforts of all levels, branches and functional forces, positive changes have been seen in the implementation of the recommendations of the European Commission. This is evidenced by the significant decrease in the number of IUU fishing cases. According to statistics, in the first 4 months of 2023, there were 07 case, including 12 ships and 71 fishermen of Vietnam violating foreign waters for illegal fishing (decreased by 13 cases/16 ships/120 fishermen compared to the same period of 2022). However, up to date, the encroachment of Vietnam’s fishing vessels on foreign waters for illegal fishing has yet to be curbed, and there are, even, new complicated developments; the management and control of fishing vessels of functional forces, to some extend, have yet to meet the practical requirements, etc.

In order to promote the achieved results, successfully implement the goals of removing the "yellow card" for Vietnamese seafood and international commitments, as well as keeping a good image for the country and people of Vietnam, in the coming time, agencies and units, directly the Border Guard, the Coast Guard, the Navy, and the Fisheries Control should continue to thoroughly grasp and perform the following measures:

Firstly, promoting the work of legal propagation and dissemination to fishermen. This is a task and a solution of paramount importance. As our sea is large and overlaps with those of many countries, the number of fishing vessels is high while our forces and means for law enforcement at sea are limited, the legal awareness of fishermen is an important and decisive factor. To implement this issue, Military agencies and units need to continue to promote legal education and dissemination to fishermen. The contents of education and dissemination should focus on the guidelines and policies of the Party, and the laws of the State, focusing on the Law of the Sea of Vietnam, the Law on Fisheries, the Law on the Vietnam Coast Guard, and other legal relevant documents, "yellow card" warning information, the recommendations of the European Commission on combating IUU fishing. To improve efficiency, units should coordinate closely with functional agencies and local authorities to develop specialised columns with the theme "Preventing fishing vessels violating IUU, quickly removing the EC’s yellow card”  and have them broadcast on mass media. Found working groups and teams to propagate and guide fishermen to keep and submit fishing logs and reports, maintain GPS devices at on mode, etc. so that fishermen can understand and voluntarily commit not to encroach on foreign waters for fishing. At the same time, agencies and units should actively join hands in building safe areas and strong political systems; supporting coastal localities in economic, cultural and social development, building new rural areas, carrying out social security activities, gratitude repayment, contributing to improving the living standards of the people. people; supporting and helping fishermen’s offshore fishing activities, contributing to maintaining security and sovereignty of the seas and islands of the Fatherland.

Second, strengthening patrol, inspection, control and combat against IUU violations. Basing on the preliminary review of the peak period against IUU fishing, functional agencies and units should continue to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the contents of directives, resolutions, plans and guiding documents on the task of combating IUU fishing, especially Plan No. 127/KH-CQTT, dated January 5, 2023 of the Standing Body of the MND’s Steering Committee on combating IUU fishing in 2023, preventing and stopping illegal fishing of Vietnam’s vessels in foreign waters. In the short term, it is necessary to focus on research the adjustment and deployment of forces and means to strengthen patrols, inspection and control of fishing vessels entering and leaving ports, especially on islands and estuaries where many fishing vessels are gathered to promptly detect and handle IUU violations. The Border Guard Command should strengthen direction and guidance for border guards of coastal provinces to take measures for closely controlling the fishing vessels highly prone to illegal encroachment on foreign waters. The Coast Guard, the Navy, and the Fisheries Surveillance forces should have regular forces and means patrol, inspect and control on seas, especially the focal, overlapping and bordering seas between Vietnam and other countries in the region to assert our sovereignty, conduct legal dissemination to fishermen, promptly detect and prevent fishing vessels showing signs of  intruding into foreign waters for illegal fishing. During this process, agencies and units should strictly implement the Regulation on coordination between the Border Guard, the Coast Guard, the Customs, the Fisheries Surveillance and the General Department of Fisheries, to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of State management over fishing activities and the protection of aquatic resources; regularly exchange and coordinate with the local authorities, police and functional forces to grasp the situation, timely detect, fight, handle or give recommendations to the locality to handle the cases violating IUU regulations in accordance with the law.

Third, expanding international cooperation and defence diplomacy to contribute to removing the "yellow card" of the European Commission. In the peak campaign against IUU fishing, the functional forces have arrested, handled and chased away many foreign fishing vessels that encroached on our waters. Notably, through investigation, we have been informed that Vietnam’s fishing vessels and fishermen were brought to foreign waters for illegal fishing by some brokers. To cope with this issue, agencies and units, especially the Coast Guard, the Navy, and Fisheries Surveillance should strengthen their coordination with maritime law enforcement forces of countries in the region, such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, ... to share and exchange information on illegal fishing in each other's waters; step up cooperation with the China Coast Guard in joint inspection of fishing activities in the common fishing grounds in the Gulf of Tonkin; effectively implement the cooperation agreement with the Cambodian Department of Maritime Border and National Committee of Maritime Security on the establishment of a mechanism for information exchange and cooperation regarding fishermen at sea; coordinate with functional forces of countries in the region to handle cases related to our fishermen; search and rescue, protect, assist, and support fishermen so that they can feel secure when conducting offshore fishing at sea. The Border Guard and the Coast Guard should strengthen coordination with the Police to investigate and prosecute brokers for helping fishermen conduct IUU fishing; direct forces in the field to coordinate with functional agencies to manage, supervise and closely monitor fishing vessels which are highly prone to IUU fishing and have strict sanction against IUU fishing.

In addition to those measures, functional agencies and units should strengthen the co-management in the protection of aquatic resources according to regulations; advise the Government to make assessment of the sea areas, the situation of fishing, aquaculture and seafood production; develop plans for sustainable livelihoods and career transitions for people to remove the "yellow card" warning of the European Commission, contribute to protecting the environment and marine ecosystems, maintaining a peaceful environment and the position and prestige of the country and people of Vietnam in the international arena.

Lieutenant General NGUYEN TRONG BINH, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army