Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting (Photo: VOV)

Chairing the 26th meeting of the National Steering Committee for Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, which was held online with 22 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities, the Prime Minister said: "Responsibilities need to be clearly defined. Each locality must take responsibility for its own citizens. First and foremost, the Party Secretary and the Chairperson must be accountable and responsibilities must be individualized. Now that VNeID has been installed, it’s possible to check where our citizens go and why they haven’t returned. Monitoring and management of residents must be strengthened."

PM Chinh asked the Government Inspectorate to promptly identify localities that show a lack determination or fail to handle violations strictly, including cases where vessels that don’t meet all legal requirements are still allowed to leave port, and to clarify responsibilities and impose sanctions without delay. Relevant agencies were tasked with dealing with enterprises that import illegal consignments of seafood.

The Ministry of National Defiance and the Ministry of Public Security were asked to review their forces and equipment, and if there are shortages in personnel or resources, report immediately to the Government so that appropriate measures can be taken.

Only 7 of 22 provinces and cities have issued policies on occupational redeployment. The Prime Minister asked that the remaining 15 provinces and cities complete and issue their occupational redeployment policies within the next five days.

So far, all the 79,231 fishing vessels nationwide have been registered and added to the VNFishbase system. Those deemed unfit for operation are under strict control, with management responsibilities assigned to commune-level authorities and authorities overseeing mooring locations.

Over the past week, authorities at ports oversaw 3,165 vessel departures and 3,056 arrivals in accordance with regulations and monitored 8,765 tons of seafood via the electronic catch documentation and traceability (eCDT) system. There were no cases of fishing vessels violating foreign waters and being detained.