What is the responsibilities of the Government, Ministries and ministerial agencies in state administration of fisheries in Vietnam?

What is the responsibilities of the Government, Ministries and ministerial agencies in state administration of fisheries in Vietnam? (Internet image) 

Regarding this matter, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

Ownership of aquatic resources in Vietnam

According to Article 4 of the Law on Fisheries 2017, ownership of aquatic resources is regulated as follows:

Aquatic resources are owned by the entire people and managed by the State. Organizations and individuals have the right to catch aquatic resources in accordance with regulations of law.

The State’s policies related to fishery activities in Vietnam

The State’s policies related to fishery activities are stipulated in Article 6 of the Law on Fisheries 2017 as follows:

- The State introduces investment policies on:

+ Research into, investigation, assessment, protection and recreation of aquatic resources and recovery of aquatic ecosystem; reservation of original breeds of native and endemic aquatic species having economic value and endangered, precious and rare aquatic species;

+ Building class-1 and class-2 fishing ports, sheltering anchorages, necessary infrastructure of MPAs, infrastructure of concentrated aquaculture areas and concentrated areas for producing aquatic breeds;

+ Building a system for monitoring and supervising activities of commercial fishing vessels at sea; a system of information and national database on fishery activities; a system for monitoring the environment and warning about epidemics in aquaculture environment.

- According to each period and capacity of the state budget, the State provides assistance in:

+ Developing science and technologies, especially high, advanced and new technologies applied in generation of aquatic breeds; manufacture of national aquatic products and key aquatic products; manufacture of aquatic feed, products for adjusting aquaculture environment and technologies for processing by-products into food or materials for other economic sectors.

+ Developing human resources and providing vocational training in fishery;

+ Co-management in aquatic resource protection;

+ Building a large fishery center;

+ Buying insurance for aquaculture at sea and island; crew accident insurance; insurance for hull and equipment of commercial fishing vessels extracting marine aquatic resources from the inshore route to the outer boundary of Vietnam's exclusive economic zone;

+ Developing fishery activities from the from the inshore route to the outer boundary of Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone; recovering production in case of environmental incidents, natural disasters and epidemics; providing assistance for fishermen when they are prohibited from extraction of aquatic resources or modify their vocations to reduce the coastal commercial fishing;

- Building a national brand name, trade promotion and developing consumer market of aquatic products.

- The State encourages domestic and foreign individuals and organizations to invest in activities prescribed in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article and the following activities:

+ Organizing production according to value chain and model of association and cooperation;

+ Investing in advanced technologies applied in processing of aquatic products to improve value added of these products and reduce post-harvesting loss; building wholesale markets of aquatic products and promote brand names of aquatic products;

+ Investing in marine aquaculture and organic aquaculture;

+ Applying the quality management system to production and business of aquatic products; tracing of aquatic products.

What is the responsibilities of the Government, Ministries and ministerial agencies in state administration of fisheries in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 101 of the Law on Fisheries 2017, the responsibilities of the Government, Ministries and ministerial agencies include:

- The Government shall ensure consistency in state administration of fisheries in the whole country.

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall work as a contact point to assist the Government in the state administration and shall:

+ Be in charge of state administration of fishery activities in the whole country; make and provide directions on implementing strategies, plans and schemes for fishery activities;

+ Promulgate or request competent authorities to promulgate and implement policies, legislative documents, standards, technical regulations and economic and technical norms in fishery fields;

+ Provide directions and instructions on and carry out environmental monitoring and warning, aquatic epidemic prevention and commercial fishing at sea; manage processing and trading of aquatic products; ensure quality and aquatic food safety as prescribed by law; set up, manage and provide instructions on updating and accessing to the national fisheries database;

+ Be in charge of state administration of fisheries resources surveillance; provide consistent directions on fisheries resources surveillance;

+ Organize the issuance, reissuance, extension and revocation of licenses and certificates in fishery activities under it management; authorize or assign the administration in accordance with regulations of law;

+ Organize the investigation, scientific research and technological development, technology transfer; assess and analyze impacts of economic activities on fishery activities;

+ Provide instructions on and carry out state inspections of fishing ports and sheltering anchorages for commercial fishing vessels in the whole country; provide professional training in managing fishing ports and sheltering anchorages for commercial fishing vessels in accordance with regulations of law and announce the list of appointed fishing ports having sufficient systems for certifying origins of caught aquatic species;

+ Be in charge of state administration applicable to marine protected areas and aquatic resources protected areas in the whole country;

+ Be in charge of state administration and provide professional training in fisheries; organize and provide instructions on statistics, information, propagation and popularization of knowledge and legal education in fisheries;

+ Prescribe criteria on and quality of waters used for aquaculture and specialized technical management in fishery activities;

+ Manage, provide directions on, formulate plans for and organize inspection, handling of complaints and denunciation, taking actions against violations of law o fisheries within it power; work as a contact point to join international cooperation in fisheries;

+ Take charge and cooperate with Ministries, ministerial agencies and People’s Committees of provinces in developing software for managing the national fishery database

+ Reserve original breeds and native and endemic aquatic species having economic value.

- Ministries and ministerial agencies, within their duties and powers, shall cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in state administration of fisheries.

Doan Duc Tai

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