Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called for stronger efforts to have the European Commission’s (EC) “yellow card” removed this year, while chairing the 14th meeting of the National Steering Committee for Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Prevention and Control in Hanoi on September 23.

The PM urged the Steering Committee to closely monitor progress, conduct weekly reviews of IUU fishing prevention measures, and accelerate the digitalization of management over fishing vessel operations.

Combating IUU fishing, he stressed, is both an urgent and long-term task requiring a comprehensive overhaul of legal frameworks and the consolidation of steering boards at all levels.

He also requested the thorough preparation of reports and the dispatch of a delegation to work with the EC to clarify and agree on measures to fully meet the Commission’s requirements.

PM Chinh emphasized that industry associations and businesses must strictly comply with anti-IUU fishing regulations, including bans on purchasing, processing, or exporting illegally caught seafood. He called for closer cooperation with authorities to investigate and strictly punish violations such as record falsification and abetting IUU fishing.