A Vietnamese fishing port (Photo: tongcucthuysan.gov.vn)

The Australian side updated Australia’s regulations on fisheries management and exploitation, punishment and fines to any acts related to illegal fishing. Brendan Rayner, Head of the International Compliance Operations section of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, said the Australian and Vietnamese governments have fostered cooperation to prevent Vietnamese farmers from illegal fishing. The Ministries of Agriculture of Vietnam and Australia signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in fighting illegal fishing and implementing communication campaign on international fishing laws and the consequences of illegal fishing.

Pham Ngoc Tuan, deputy head of the Aquatic Resources Exploitation and Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the Vietnamese government has taken a number of measures to deter illegal fishing: “Under the Vietnamese law, the fine for illegal fishing reaches 1 billion VND for an individual and to 2 billion VND for a violating organization. Any fishing vessel without regulated equipment is considered illegal”.