Vietnam has been told to clean up its fishing industry to comply with the EU–who accused it of tolerating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing on a large scale–or risk a ban on fish exports.
According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, Vietnam’s seafood industry accounted for $8.3 billion worth of exports in 2017, making it one of the world’s largest, beside the U.S., China, and Norway. In October, the Financial Times reported that the EU gave the southeast Asian country a “yellow card” (under a system that ranks nations’ fishing practices and market access) and six months to improve the state of the industry. The EU threatened punitive trade measures if the communist-ruled country did not comply.
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Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, said in a statement:
“With this action today we demonstrate our firm commitment to fight illegal fishing globally. We cannot ignore the impact that illegal activities conducted by Vietnamese vessels are having on marine ecosystems in the Pacific. We invite the Vietnamese authorities to step up their fight so we can reverse this decision quickly. We are offering them our technical support.”