Decision 1077/QD-TTg 2022 Scheme on “Tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing until 2025”

DECISION

Approving the Scheme on “Tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing until 2025”

_________

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated June 19, 2015; the Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Organization of the Government and the Law on Organization of Local Administration dated November 22, 2019;

Pursuant to the Law on Fisheries dated November 21, 2017;

At the proposal of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the Scheme on “Tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing until 2025” which covers the following principal contents:

I. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

1. General objectives

To synchronously, effectively and efficiently enforce law provisions on fisheries; to pay attention to implementing regulations on tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing, helping to lift the “Yellow Card” warning of the European Commission (EC); to manage fishing activities and protect marine resources and ecosystems, to develop Vietnam's fisheries towards sustainability, responsibility and international integration, in order to improve livelihoods of people in coastal areas, thus contributing to ensuring security, national defense and protecting the country's sovereignty over sea and islands.

2. Specific objectives

- To complete 100% of the marking of fishing vessels and the installation of the VMS equipment on fishing vessels with the maximum length of 15 m or more engaged in fishing activities.

- 100% of fishing vessels with the maximum length of 15 m or more shall be checked before leaving the port for fishing at sea in order to ensure that all documents and equipment are in accordance with regulations.

- 100% of fishing vessels with the maximum length of 15 m or more shall be tracked and monitored through the cruise monitoring system when they are operating at sea, and shall be inspected, checked, and controlled at the port.

- 100% of domestic wild-caught seafood shall be inspected and supervised in accordance with the regulations when being loaded and unloaded at fishing ports.

- 100% of wild-caught seafood of foreign origin arriving at Vietnam's seaports shall be inspected and supervised in accordance with the provisions of the FAO-2009 Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA).

- To prevent and eliminate Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen conducting illegal fishing in foreign waters, and not to let it happen again in the following years.

- To prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing, helping to lift the EC’s “Yellow Card” warning.

II. TASKS AND SOLUTIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE SCHEME

1. The group of tasks and solutions in terms of information, communication, and dissemination

a) Internal

- To implement programs on information and communication of the harmful effects of IUU fishing on the sustainable development of fishing activities; to disseminate, educate and popularize policies and legal regulations of Vietnam, the world and other countries related to IUU fishing prevention and control to relevant organizations and individuals.

- To organize seminars, professional training courses, annual conferences in order to direct the effective, synchronous, and uniform enforcement of law provisions on fishing and management of fisheries.

b) External

- To promote external information and communication programs, organize meetings, seminars and press conferences to exchange and affirm Vietnam's commitments and efforts to tackling IUU fishing as well as developing sustainable, responsible, and internationally integrated fisheries; to timely prevent, fight and eliminate misleading, negative and dishonest information about Vietnam’s fight against IUU fishing for the purpose of unfair competition in order to hinder the EC in lifting the “Yellow Card” warning.

- To cooperate and exchange experiences with partners such as Australia, Norway, the United States, and Europe to conduct training and communication programs towards those who violate the law provisions on fisheries based on the best practices in these countries.

2. The group of tasks and solutions to complete of the legal framework, mechanisms and policies

- To continue improving the legal framework in order to ensure sustainable and responsible development of fisheries, consistent with international agreements and commitments that Vietnam has acceded to or participated in, such as: PSMA, UNFSA, C188, the US Marine Mammal Protection Act, etc. To revise and formulate national standards and regulations on management and technical safety for fishing vessels (with the length of 24 m or more) and system of fishing ports (Types I, II, III).

- To formulate and implement a number of policies on sustainable fisheries development in the direction of reducing fishing force, increasing the space and time of banning and limiting fishing in order to restore and regenerate aquatic resources; support the transformation of occupations and livelihoods of fishing communities.

3. The group of tasks and solutions to invest in, upgrade and complete fisheries infrastructure and consolidate the organizational apparatus, supplement resources and equipment of fishing ports

- To preferentially allocate funds to invest, upgrade, repair and maintain fisheries infrastructure at fishing ports and storm shelters as planned.

- To synchronously implement programs and projects in order to realize the Vietnam Fisheries Development Strategy until 2030, with a vision to 2045, and implement the master plan on the system of fishing ports and storm shelters for fishing vessels in the 2021 - 2030 period, with a vision to 2050 after it is approved by the Prime Minister.

- To consolidate the organizational apparatus, supplement resources, regularly train and improve professional qualifications for local fisheries management agencies, especially at fishing ports, in order to ensure the consistency and uniformity in terms of organizational model of fishing port management, model of inspection, checking, control and handling of IUU fishing violations at fishing ports.

- To study and develop an exemplary model on inspection, control and handling of IUU fishing violations at 03 fishing ports in 03 regions: the North (Hai Phong), the Central (Khanh Hoa), and the South (Ca Mau) with EC's technical support and advice.

4. The group of tasks and solutions to improve the capacity and efficiency of patrol, inspection, and control at sea of the fisheries surveillance force and other relevant functional forces

- To organize preliminary review, summary and assessment of the implementation of regulations on coordination between the fisheries surveillance force and other law enforcement forces operating at sea; to strengthen joint patrols, inspection and control activities among law enforcement forces at sea.

- To regularly educate and provide professional training to law enforcement forces at sea in terms of inspection, examination, handling of violations and fight against IUU fishing.

5. The group of tasks and solutions in terms of fleet management, fishing capacity, monitoring, inspection, and control of fishing vessel activities

a) In terms of fleet management and fishing capacity

- Under the master plan on protection and exploitation of aquatic resources, to strictly manage quotas for fishing licenses. Resolutely not to over-exploit and effectively enforce regulations on restricted areas, prohibition periods and occupations banned from operating in sea areas; to strengthen the co-management in protecting aquatic resources in accordance with regulations.

- To pilot the allocation of total allowable catches by species suitable to the reality and characteristics of each locality.

- To organize and guide organizations and individuals to conduct legal fishing activities in the waters adjacent to and outside Vietnam's waters in accordance with the laws of Vietnam, the host country, and regional fisheries management organizations.

- To focus resources on completing 100% of the marking of fishing vessels and the installation of the VMS equipment on all remaining fishing vessels in accordance with the regulations; depending on the reality of the locality, to have solutions and policies to financially support the installation of VMS equipment.

- To carry out digital transformation and improve the National Fisheries Database in order to ensure the digitization of all information, data, and professional processes for the smooth management of fishing activities from the Central level to the local level.

b) In terms of monitoring, inspection, and control of fishing vessels before they leave the ports for fishing and when they arrive at the ports

- To strengthen inspection and control of the conditions of all fishing vessels when they leave the ports, especially those with high risk of committing IUU fishing; to resolutely prevent and sanction fishing vessels ineligible for participation in fish exploitation.

- To reject requests for entering the ports and sanction in accordance with the regulations fishing vessels that fail to declare their information before arriving at the ports, or fail to submit reports and fishing logs as prescribed; to control the entire output of seafood unloaded at the fishing ports in accordance with regulations on IUU fishing.

- To develop a coordination mechanism among relevant localities to tighten management of local fishing vessels operating regularly in areas outside the province.

c) In terms of monitoring, control, and supervision of fishing vessels at sea

- To upgrade and complete the fishing vessel monitoring system to ensure stable, smooth, shared, and synchronously connected activities from central to local levels and among relevant functional forces in order to closely monitor, control, and supervise fishing vessels operating at sea, in which:

+ To effectively exploit, use and operate the existing fishing vessel monitoring system as well as expeditiously implement the second phase of the fisheries management information project.

+ To strictly control the quality of VMS equipment from suppliers, ensure that VMS equipment installed on fishing vessels operates stably, transmits information to the fishing vessel monitoring system in accordance with the regulations; to resolutely sanction violations against regulations on supply, installation and use of VMS equipment.

- To review resources, to arrange, consolidate, and establish the departments in charge of administering and commanding the enforcement of law provisions on fisheries as well as tackling IUU fishing under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to manage, direct, and administer the work from the central to local levels in a unified and smooth manner and coordinate with functional forces of relevant ministries and sectors.

- To establish a mechanism to exchange information between ships and shore-based authority, to regularly broadcast warning messages on the coastal radio system to receive and promptly process information from fishing vessels related to the operation of VMS equipment, fishing accidents, incidents at sea, cases of fishing vessels being detained, arrested, or sanctioned...

- Law enforcement forces at sea (The Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance, the Coast Guard, the Vietnam Navy, the Border Guard, the Inspectorate for the Protection of Aquatic Resources, etc.) to strengthen patrols, inspection and control activities over sea areas; especially in overlapping, disputed and undefined waters in order to promptly detect, prevent and sanction Vietnamese fishing vessels committing violations in foreign waters; to resolutely fight foreign functional forces that illegally control, arrest and sanction Vietnam’s fishing vessels and fishermen.

6. The group of tasks and solutions in terms of law enforcement and sanctioning of IUU fishing

- To list and narrow the focus on suspected objects, to firmly grasp the local situation in order to closely monitor, manage, detect, and promptly prevent fishing vessels showing suspicious signs of organizing fishing activities in foreign waters, to publicize their violations on the mass media as deterrence and warning for others.

- To strengthen the coordination and information exchange between functional forces of the Ministries of National Defence, Public Security, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Development and 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities in order to ensure the thorough, synchronous, and consistent investigation and sanctioning of IUU fishing acts in accordance with the law provisions.

- To attach importance to investigating as well as strictly and thoroughly sanctioning organizations and individuals acting as brokers or intermediaries or intentionally making Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen to commit illegal fishing that are arrested and sanctioned in foreign waters or detected by domestic functional forces.

7. The group of tasks and solutions in terms of traceability of seafood products

a) To monitor, inspect and control catches at fishing ports

- To apply information technology and digital transformation in tracking the origin, to digitize the professional process of tracking and monitoring wild-caught seafood in the entire value chain in order to satisfy the requirements of the domestic and international market.

- To make transparent the entire circulation process of wild-caught seafood, which is confirmed or certified as not committing IUU fishing, and track the origin thereof to prevent commercial frauds.

b) To monitor, inspect and control wild-caught seafood of foreign origin that arrives at Vietnamese seaports for import, temporary import and re-export, border-gate transfer, or transit through Vietnam under the provisions of the FAO-2009 Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA).

- To continue improving the legal mechanism and process of inspection and examination to prevent IUU wild-caught seafood of foreign origin from entering Vietnam.

- To strengthen international cooperation to exchange information, improve the capacity of inspection, examination, and sanctioning of violations for functional forces to implement the PSMA.

8. The group of tasks and solutions in terms of international treaty implementation and international cooperation

a) To accede to international treaties and conventions

- To complete the application documentation for joining the International Labor Organization's (ILO) Work in Fishing Convention No. 188.

- To accelerate the negotiations and fulfill procedures to become an official member of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), to formulate a plan to enlist the support of major partners who are founding and influential members of the WCPFC in order to obtain the tuna catch quota in international waters managed by the WCPFC when Vietnam became its official member.

b) To promote international cooperation and fulfill obligations under international agreements on fisheries to which Vietnam is a signatory.

- To comply with measures to manage, conserve and sustainably exploit marine resources in accordance with the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA). To formulate a plan to implement the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement.

- To organize high-level, technical negotiations and dialogues with the EC and the United States to demonstrate Vietnam's efforts to tackle IUU fishing.

- To negotiate and sign agreements to establish hotlines with relevant countries and territories to coordinate in preventing illegal fishing activities and solving related issues at sea in the spirit of friendly and humanitarian cooperation.

- To negotiate, sign or implement cooperation treaties and agreements with island nations such as: Micronesia, Palau, etc. and a number of countries in Southeast Asia (ASEAN) in order to allow Vietnamese fishing vessels to exploit seafood in their waters. To study the possibility of cooperation in fishing with countries in the European Union, thereby taking advantage of cooperation and investment in Vietnam's seafood market to influence and lobby the EC to lift the “Yellow Card” warning for Vietnam.

- To participate in multilateral cooperation forums, international fisheries management organizations and bilateral fisheries cooperation with countries. To enhance exchange and learn from experiences of other countries that have succeeded in making the EC lift the “Yellow Card” warning.

-To cooperate with regional fisheries management organizations as members, observers, or as non-members, to effectively implement MCS and law enforcement measures, and where appropriate, to implement a fisheries certification scheme.

- To actively, responsibly, effectively and transparently cooperate with relevant countries, regional and international fisheries organizations in exchanging and processing information related to IUU fishing and implementing policies and measures to prevent and remove IUU seafood from trading under international commitments and treaties that Vietnam has signed.

III. PRIORITIZED TASKS AND PROJECTS OF THE SCHEME

1. The information, communication and training project aimed at implementing the Law on Fisheries and tackling IUU fishing at home and abroad.

2. The projects to invest, upgrade and complete the system of fishing ports, facilities, equipment, and resources to satisfy the requirements of management and control of fishing vessels, traceability of wild-caught seafood at fishing ports, and prevention of IUU fishing.

3. The project to pilot and popularize the model of sustainable fisheries control at 03 fishing ports in 03 regions: the North (Hai Phong), the Central (Khanh Hoa), and the South (Ca Mau).

4. The project to departments in charge of administering and commanding the enforcement of law provisions on fisheries as well as tackling IUU fishing under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to manage, direct, and administer the work from the central to local levels in a unified and smooth manner and coordinate with functional forces of relevant ministries and sectors.

5. The project to develop a unified management system synchronously connecting fisheries databases for managing, commanding, administering, and tracking fishing vessels and catches.

6. The project on capacity building and professional training for the Fisheries Resource Surveillance Force and specialized fisheries inspectors on patrolling, inspecting, controlling, inspecting, and sanctioning violations of the law provisions on fisheries.

7. To conduct joint patrols of fisheries law enforcement forces to prevent and tackle IUU fishing.

8. The tasks of international cooperation, negotiation, signing, accession to and implementation of fisheries cooperation and IUU fishing agreements and treaties.

(Details of the prioritized tasks and projects are mentioned in the Appendix attached hereto)

IV. FUNDING

To diversify mobilized funds and effectively use resources to implement the Scheme, including:

1. Annual State budget sources (expenditures for development and infrastructure investment, recurrent expenditures) in line with the current State budget decentralization.

2. Funds included in public investment programs, schemes, and projects in the 2021 - 2030 period.

3. Funds mobilized from or donated by foreign donors, international organizations, domestic and foreign enterprises, organizations and individuals, and other lawful funds.

4. Other financial sources as prescribed by the law provisions.

Article 2. Organization of implementation

Based on the contents of the Scheme, relevant Central-level committees, ministries, sectors and the People's Committees of 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities shall pay due attention to formulating detailed plans and allocating funds to effectively realize the Scheme, ensuring that the objectives thereof will be achieved.

Specific responsibilities of ministries and agencies are prescribed as follows:

1. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall:

a) Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant Central-level committees, ministries and sectors, the People's Committees of 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities as well as relevant agencies in organizing the implementation of the Scheme; inspect and evaluate the implementation of the Scheme, and report to the Prime Minister and the National IUU Steering Committee on the results of the Scheme before December 15 every year.

b) Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministries of Information and Communications, Foreign Affairs, National Defence, Public Security and People's Committees of 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities in formulating plans, programs, and contents while realizing the tasks and solutions in terms of information, communication, dissemination and legal education at home and abroad to affirm Vietnam's efforts and political determination to prevent and eliminate IUU fishing, helping to lift the “Yellow Card” warning.

c) Continue to review and perfect the institutions, legal framework, national standards and regulations, economic and technical norms; formulate mechanisms, policies, strategies, objectives, programs, plans and solutions on the protection of aquatic resources and fishing for sustainable development of the fisheries sector, and related documents to participate in and fulfill Vietnam's obligations and commitments to the International Fisheries Agreements and Conventions to which Vietnam is a member or a signatory. Strengthen the international cooperation on fisheries and IUU fishing prevention between Vietnam and other regional, international fisheries organizations.

d) Review resources, arrange, consolidate, and establish the departments in charge of administering and commanding the enforcement of law provisions on fisheries as well as tackling IUU fishing to manage, direct, and administer the work from the central to local levels in a unified and smooth manner and coordinate with functional forces of relevant ministries and sectors.

dd) Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant Central-level committees, ministries, sectors, 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities in organizing, upgrading and completing fisheries infrastructure; a modern fisheries management information system digitized and integrated on a common software which shall be uniformly managed by Central-level fisheries management agencies as well as shared and connected synchronously to fisheries management agencies in 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities, related agencies and units; with the focus thereof on large fisheries centers and designated fishing ports, in the immediate future. Pilot the fisheries control model with EC's support and advice; evaluate the effectiveness and popularize such model to 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities.

e) Preferentially allocate funds, consolidate the fisheries surveillance force, improve the capacity of state management over fisheries surveillance, intensify patrols, inspection and control in the sea areas to manage the activities of fishing vessels.

g) Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministries of Finance, Transport and relevant agencies and units in implementing the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) in compliance with regulations on inspection and examination of seafood products and raw materials imported into Vietnam's seaports.

h) Regularly inspect, urge, and guide local authorities to perform the tasks of tackling IUU fishing and implementing the Law on Fisheries. Timely report to the Government, the Prime Minister, and the National IUU Fishing Steering Committee the necessary contents, solutions, and conditions to ensure the effective fight against IUU fishing, thus helping to lift the “Yellow Card” warning.

2. The Ministry of National Defence shall:

a) Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant Central-level committees, ministries, sectors, 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities in implementing solutions to effectively prevent and stop Vietnamese fishing vessels from committing fishing violations in foreign waters; arrange border control forces at fishing ports to control fishing activities.

b) Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant Central-level committees, ministries, sectors, 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities in inspecting and controlling all fishing vessels to ensure that they satisfy all conditions as prescribed by the law provisions before they leave the ports for fishing; resolutely prevent, sanction and not allow fishing vessels which committed IUU fishing to leave the ports for fishing.

c) Attach importance to investigating and dealing with IUU fishing acts, especially violations of fishing that are arrested or sanctioned in foreign waters or detected by domestic functional forces, publicize their violations on the mass media as deterrence and warning for others.

d) Cooperate with the Ministry of Public Security in investigating and verifying organizations and individuals that act as brokers or intermediaries for Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen to commit illegal fishing in foreign waters.

dd) Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Public Security and 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities in launching patrol, inspection, and control intensive campaigns in the 2022 - 2023 period in bordering and overlapping seas between Vietnam and other countries in order to prevent and sanction Vietnamese fishing vessels committing violations of fishing in foreign waters.

3. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall:

a) Coordinate with relevant Central-level committees, ministries, sectors, 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities in implementing solutions to effectively lobby and negotiate with the EC on the early lift of the “Yellow Card” warning for Vietnam. Via official diplomatic channels, convey the message showing Vietnam's political determination in its efforts to prevent and deal with Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen committing IUU fishing.

b) Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant Central-level committees, ministries, and sectors in advising the Government on plans to negotiate with countries with overlapping or undefined sea areas to determine the legitimate fishing boundaries for Vietnamese fishing vessels.

c) Take the initiative in grasping the situation, collecting information, documents and evidence in countries that arrest and sanction Vietnamese fishing vessels for their violations; promptly hand them over to domestic authorities for strict sanctioning in accordance with the law provisions. At the same time, continue to strengthen citizen protection for fishermen arrested and sanctioned by foreign countries.

4. The Ministry of Public Security shall:

a) Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant Central-level committees, ministries, sectors, 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities in implementing solutions to effectively investigate and strictly sanction organizations and individuals that act as brokers or intermediaries for Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen to commit illegal fishing in foreign waters; strictly sanction violations against the law provisions on IUU fishing.

b) Direct the functional forces to get further information about the guidelines, policies, and measures against IUU fishing of countries and territories, promptly advise the Prime Minister to consider them and direct relevant Central-level committees, ministries, sectors, 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities to study, apply, and implement them; exchange information on population data in order to manage workers on fishing vessels in accordance with the regulations.

5. The Ministry of Transport shall:

a) Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and relevant ministries and sectors in inspecting and refusing to allow foreign vessels to enter or use the ports if detecting that they conduct the activities related to import, temporary import and re-export, border-gate transfer, and transit through the Vietnamese territory of wild-caught seafood violating regulations on IUU fishing under the Agreement on Port State Measures.

b) Assume the prime responsibility for revising, developing and completing the legal framework, policies and regulations to allow vessels to enter the ports; arrange human resources, working places, means and equipment for competent State agencies to enforce the Agreement on Port State Measures at seaports designated for fishing vessels, ships transporting and transshipping wild-caught seafood and seafood products of foreign origin to arrive at the ports to conduct activities of import, temporary import and re-export, border-gate transfer or transit of wild-caught seafood and seafood products through the territory of Vietnam.

6. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall:

Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Party Central Committee's Commission for Information and Education, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, relevant ministries, sectors and local authorities in disseminating information and directing the news agencies, the press, the media, and the grassroots information system to increase the coverage of the scheme on “Tackling IUU fishing until 2025”, with a focus on popularizing Vietnam's efforts to tackle IUU fishing; disseminate exemplary organizations and individuals in tackling IUU fishing.

7. The Party Central Committee's Commission for Information and Education:

The Party Central Committee's Commission for Information and Education is requested to direct Central-level press agencies and Party committees at all levels to strengthen advocacy and dissemination of fisheries legislation, especially regulations against IUU fishing, to the grassroots level, fishermen in coastal areas, relevant organizations and individuals; direct the promotion of external information work, fight against misleading and untruthful views about Vietnam's efforts in tackling IUU fishing.

8. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall:

Report to competent authorities to preferentially allocate sufficient public investment capital to relevant Central-level committees, ministries, sectors, and local authorities for them to implement the Scheme on “Tackling IUU fishing until 2025”, lift the “Yellow Card” warning, invest in and upgrade the fisheries infrastructure system, fishing ports, storm shelters, modern fisheries management information system, and ensure the digitization for the sustainable, responsible development and international integration of fisheries.

9. The Ministry of Finance shall:

a) Depending on the balancing capacity of the Central budget, at the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, relevant departments, ministries, sectors and localities, give priority to including and allocating funds in the annual estimated recurrent expenditures of the Central budget, and submit them to competent authorities for consideration and decision on the balance and allocation of funds for the implementation of the Scheme in accordance with the Law on State Budget and its guiding documents.

b) Direct the General Department of Vietnam Customs to closely coordinate with agencies and units of the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Transport, etc. to strictly implement the provisions of the Agreement on Port State Measures in order to control foreign ships arriving at ports for import, temporary import and re-export, border-gate transfer, transit of wild-caught seafood products through the  territory of Vietnam, thus demonstrating Vietnam's commitment, goodwill and compliance with international regulations on tackling IUU fishing.

10. The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall:

Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in formulating training and skill improvement programs; guide the implementation of law provisions on labor in accordance with the characteristics of fisheries labor and international laws.

11. The People's Committees of 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities shall:

a) Implement the Scheme by including the contents of the Scheme in the local socio-economic development plans; summarize the implementation of the Scheme and report it to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development before December 15 every year.

b) Strengthen and promote the thoroughly dissemination of the guidelines and undertakings of the Party, policies and laws of the State on sustainable fisheries development and IUU fishing tackling to every cadre and citizen in an effective and regular manner, in which the grassroots level (communes/wards/townships) shall be the core force, take the main responsibility, closely and directly grasp the areas under their management, disseminate the laws and mobilize people to obey the laws. Assign responsibilities to the heads of the Party Committees and local authorities, strengthen the guidance, inspection, and supervision while strictly handling organizations and individuals who lack the spirit and responsibility leading to mistakes or failure to complete the assigned tasks.

c) Continue to develop mechanisms and policies to support local fishermen to carry out fishing activities in accordance with regulations, thus ensuring stable life and sustainable livelihoods of fishermen; implement projects to restore marine ecosystems, mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds for marine species to live; projects to reduce trawlers and create artificial reefs.

d) Closely coordinate with the Ministry of National Defence and relevant central-level committees, ministries, and sectors to implement more drastic solutions to prevent and stop local fishing vessels from committing fishing violations in foreign waters.

dd) List and narrow the focus on suspected objects, to firmly grasp the local situation in order to closely monitor, manage, detect, and promptly prevent fishing vessels showing suspicious signs of organizing fishing activities in foreign waters; strictly sanction violations of fishing vessels in accordance with law provisions, publicize their violations on the local mass media as deterrence and warning for others.

e) Develop a coordination mechanism among relevant localities to tighten management of local fishing vessels operating regularly in areas outside the province, promptly sanction fishing vessels engaged in IUU fishing.

g) Expeditiously complete the marking of fishing vessels, install the VMS equipment for fishing vessels with a length of 15 m or more. Effectively exploit, use, and operate the fishing vessel monitoring system to monitor and supervise all activities of local fishing vessels at sea in accordance with the regulations and inspect, check, and control them at the ports to sanction them when they commit IUU fishing.

h) Strictly comply with regulations on control of fishing vessels entering and leaving the ports, workers on fishing vessels, control of catches passing through the ports, certification, verification and traceability of wild-caught seafood, resolutely sanction violations, do not allow fishing vessels to participate in fishing activities if they do not install VMS or do not mark themselves as fishing vessels in accordance with the regulations. Assign tasks to the organizations managing fishing ports to carry out the survey of commercial fisheries.

i) Work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to implement the project to build a unified management system synchronously integrated with fisheries databases fisheries databases for managing, commanding, administering, and tracking fishing vessels and catches in order to monitor, supervise, and manage fisheries at the ports.

k) Announce quotas for coastal and inshore fishing licenses; coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in managing quotas for offshore fishing licenses. Carry out the management of new fishing vessels and fishing occupations on fishing grounds.

l) Establish local Fisheries Surveillance Teams, Fisheries Surveillance Stations at fishing ports. Manage fisheries in accordance with the law provisions; consolidate the organizational apparatus, preferentially allocate resources, human resources, and equipment for local fisheries management agencies in accordance with the regulations and guidance of competent authorities to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of fisheries law enforcement.

m) Invest in and upgrade infrastructure of local Type-II and III fishing ports and storm shelters to fulfill the tasks of tackling IUU fishing. Encourage organizations and individuals to participate in investment and management of local fisheries infrastructure.

n) Annually allocate funds to implement the tasks assigned in the Scheme, which shall be covered by the local budgets in accordance with the Law on State Budget and other relevant laws.

12. Central-level committees, ministries, sectors, local authorities, relevant unions, associations, organizations and individuals shall:

a) Depending on their assigned functions and tasks, take the initiative and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and relevant agencies in effectively implementing relevant contents in the Scheme.

b) The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers as well as seafood businesses shall continue to join hands with and support the Government in mobilizing seafood businesses to resolutely refuse to purchase, process and export IUU caught seafood. Provide information and coordinate with authorities to strictly sanction illegal seafood businesses that legalize records, abet and tolerate IUU fishing.

c) The Vietnam Fisheries Society shall actively mobilize its members to be exemplary and well implement regulations on tackling IUU fishing; promptly encourage good examples, good people and good deeds.

d) Relevant committees, ministries, sectors, People's Committees of 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities and relevant unions, associations, organizations and individuals (the Communist Youth Union, the Women’s Union, the Farmers' Union, the Veterans’ Association, the Association of the Elderly, etc.) shall continue to further disseminate information to all levels of Party committees, authorities as well as to individuals and families of ship owners, captains, fishermen, fishing logistics service providers, etc. encouraging them to strictly abide by the law provisions on fisheries, do not commit IUU fishing; promptly detect and report IUU fishing acts.

dd) Allocate funds from the central budget and other lawful funding sources to implement the tasks assigned to them in the Scheme in accordance with the law provisions.

Article 3. Effect

This Decision takes effect from the date of signing for promulgation.

Article 4. Responsibilities for implementation

Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, chairpersons of People's Committees of 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities, heads of agencies, units and relevant organizations, individuals shall be responsible for implementing this Decision.

* All Appendices are not translated herein.