A European Commission inspection team will visit Vietnam early next month to assess Vietnam’s efforts to follow EC recommendations on fighting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Vietnam has taken measures in response to the EC’s nine recommendations to remove its yellow card warning on Vietnam’s fishing industry.

Seafood is one of Vietnam’s key export items to the EU with an annual average export turnover of 400 million USD, 30% of Vietnam’s total seafood export turnover.

Vietnam has set up a National Steering Committee on IUU Fishing Prevention and Control. 28 coastal provinces and cities have also set up offices of inspection and control at fishing ports and distributed circulars and decrees under the 2017 Fisheries Law, specifying solutions against illegal exploitation. Control of fishing vessel operations and seafood output at ports emphasizes traceability and collection of fishing records.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Directorate of Fisheries have stepped up meetings with the EC to provide information about Vietnam's efforts to solve this problem.

Vietnam has improved its fishery exploitation management, setting fishing quotas for local vessels. Specifically, the granting of fishing quotas in coastal, inshore and offshore areas as the EC requires one current measure aimed at sustainable exploitation.

Localities will expand the use of GPS on fishing vessels to minimize illegal fishing.

Tran Van Phuc, Deputy Director of the Binh Dinh provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said "To monitor offshore fishing activities, we’ve installed GPS devices on 540 fishing vessels that update information every 2 hours. Violators will lose exploitation licenses and will not be allowed to benefit from government preferential policies. Those vessels could also face harsh punishments from the National Border Guards."

Fishermen’s awareness of illegal fishing activities has improved remarkably, according to fisherman Dao Duy Menh of Binh Dinh province.

Vietnam has established hotlines with other countries to address maritime issues as they arise and share experience in fighting illegal fishing.