Fishermen making things difficult for themselves

Seafood processing companies complain that four months since the day the EU’s IUU regulations (illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) took effect, Vietnamese fishermen still do not care about what IUU means.

Under IUU, all seafood exports to the EU must clearly show their origin, including the area of sea where the fish are caught and the names of the fishing boats, or else they will be refused entry.

Pataya Food Industries Vietnam, a 100 percent Thai-owned enterprise based in Can Tho, expected Kien Giang province’s authorities to provide a Catch Certificate (C/C) for its seafood consignments for export to the EU. Instead, the company received a dispatch.

Kien Giang Sub-department of Capture Fisheries and Resources Protection requested the catch diaries of the fishing boats’ owners who sold their products to the company. The department stated it could only grant a C/C when the company produces the diaries.

Pataya Food has not documents to submit. A company representative complained that fishing boat owners do not have diaries, although the company has requested them many times.

“Most fishermen said that they do not care about IUU, and that if the company does not buy fish, they would sell to companies that do not export to the EU,” the representative explained.

Meanwhile, 90 percent of Vietnam’s seafood exports go to the EU.

Pataya Food is not alone. Many other seafood companies are facing difficulties in obtaining the C/C, even though the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and its branches have released many guidance documents.

“Enterprises do not have the right to force fishing boats’ owners to write up their diaries. However, if they do not have diaries, enterprises will not be able to export products to the EU market. In this case, fishermen are making things difficult for themselves,” one seafood processing company representative surmised.

As IUU regulations apply only to the EU, Vietnamese fishermen believe that they do not need to worry about IUU and that if they cannot sell to EU exporters, they can still sell products to other companies.

Economists have pointed out that the EU is the largest export market, and once they refuse to import products from Vietnam, other markets will not be able to consume the excess. In such a case, the surplus will force prices down.

Tran Van Linh, Chair and General Director of Thuan Phuoc Seafood Company in Da Nang maintained that it is persuading fishermen to change their routine and write up diaries is a challenge. He suggested that government agencies should require diaries from fishermen. In the future, he speculated, other markets may also set similar requirements.

“After all, declaring product origins is the way for enterprises and fishermen to take responsibility for the environment and the community,” he observed. “Moreover, updating product origin information is also a way to help the Vietnamese fishing industry modernize.”

TBKTSG

Tags: the EU’s IUU regulations, Vietnam fishery sector