The Committee will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung while Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong is the Permanent Deputy Head.

Members of the Committee include central officials, provincial leaders and others.

The Committee is expected to help the Government leader deal with important and inter-sectoral issues related to IUU fishing.

It is also responsible for urging ministries, sectors and localities to step up IUU fishing prevention to meet international practices and agreements which Viet Nam has signed.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is the standing body of the Committee which has the responsibility for ensuring the Committee’s operation and supervising the implementation of IUU fishing prevention of other ministries, sectors and localities, and submitting reports on the results to the committee’s Head and the PM.

Earlier on May 16, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed Decree No. 42/2019/ND-CP on handling of administrative violations in aquaculture, under which illegal exploitation shall be fined up to VND 1 billion./.