Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has required relevant ministries, localities and agencies to carry out stronger solutions to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, focusing on inspection to detect and strictly punish any violation of vessel-monitoring-system (VMS) rules, according to an official dispatch signed by him on May 15.

The move is part of Vietnam’s efforts to get the European Commission (EC)’s “yellow card” against the Vietnamese seafood products for IUU fishing removed during the upcoming inspection of the EC slated for September-October this year, the Government News has reported.

They are ordered to join hands to review the system and better manage the fleet of fishing vessels to find out in a timely manner any ships having the device switched off or removed. The work must be completed in the third quarter.

Competent authorities must keep a close watch on and maintain regular contacts with fishing communities, while carrying out regular inspections on the VMS operation to find out and handle violations.

The People’s Committees of centrally-run coastal cities and provinces must ensure resources for the VMS installation on fishing vessels of 15m length and above.