Gia Lai to Review 184 Fishing Vessels with Expired or Missing Licenses
Vietnam’s Gia Lai Province has ordered a review of 184 fishing vessels with expired or missing licenses and tighter controls on port movements, vessel monitoring and seafood traceability. Authorities must also address fishing violations, process eligible support applications and dispose of retired vessels.
The People’s Committee of Vietnam’s Gia Lai Province has instructed coastal local governments and relevant departments to address shortcomings in efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Priorities include reviewing 184 fishing vessels whose licenses have expired or have yet to be issued and strictly checking the conditions for vessels entering and leaving port. An earlier inspection by an interagency working group found shortcomings in some areas, including oversight of vessels unfit to operate, seafood traceability and the handling of violations.
Gia Lai border guards count fishing vessels that do not meet the conditions for operation.（VietVance）
The provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment will oversee corrective measures in 12 communes and wards and five units. It will also cross-check data from the fishing vessel database, electronic traceability system, vessel monitoring system and electronic fishing logs. Fishing port authorities must check vessel arrival and departure records, seafood output and related documents, and address traceability problems.
Provincial border guards must verify that fishing vessels meet the conditions for leaving port and that their monitoring devices remain connected. Vessels that fail to meet the requirements must be barred from fishing at sea. Police will help investigate vessels that continue operating after their registration has been canceled, vessels whose whereabouts are unknown after a transfer, and the use of prohibited fishing gear. They will also handle IUU-related conduct suspected of being criminal.
Coastal local governments must also inspect each unregistered vessel and each vessel with missing or expired documents, identify its owner, mooring location and condition, and assign personnel to monitor it. They must strengthen controls on prohibited fishing gear, fishing outside designated areas and fishing outside the terms of a permit. Relevant departments must speed up approval and payment of eligible applications for fishing vessel support. Retired vessels must be handed over, dismantled, have their assets disposed of and be deregistered to prevent their hulls and engines from being reused for illegal fishing.
Source: VietVance
