Soc Trang disseminates legal information to reduce IUU fishing
(VOVWORLD) - Authorised agencies and the Border Guard of the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang are taking concerted measures to prevent local fishermen from engaging in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in an effort to have the European Commission (EC)’s ‘yellow card’ warning on Vietnamese seafood removed.
 Border guard forces intensify inspection and patrols to fight IUU fishing. (Photo: VNA) |
The provincial Border Guard is overseeing over 30,000 square km of sea and a fleet of more than 360 offshore fishing vessels and more than 640 others operating in coastal waters.
Over the past five years, since the EC issued the warning, no fishing vessels from the province have violated foreign waters. None of them have been involved in brokering and illegally transporting people by sea.
The positive results are attributable to efforts made by the border guard force to popularise knowledge, laws, and foreign countries’ strict punishments on IUU fishing violations to local fishermen.
Border guard units have intensified inspections and patrols, while closely supervising the installation and operation of monitoring systems on fishing boats.