(VOVWORLD) - The Vietnamese Government’s decision to join the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), to prevent and combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, has received a positive response from the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) and the international community.
The statement was made by Nguyen Ngoc Oai, Head of the Directorate of Fisheries, in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the sidelines of the 33rd COFI session held at the FAO’s headquarters in Rome, Italy, this week.
The move came with greater significance as it was announced during the COFI’s regular session in front of FAO leaders and representatives of other member states. COFI leaders and delegates highly evaluated Vietnam’s decision, affirming that it demonstrated the country’s responsible commitments to international issues towards the sustainable development of fisheries, he stressed.
With its participation in PSMA, the first important international agreement on fisheries, Vietnam will focus on building legal frameworks, intensifying management over foreign ships and imported seafood, increasing information exchange between parties involved and strengthening the monitoring over offshore fishing.