Cooperation on Combating IUU Fishing between Thailand and Viet Nam

Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam have established the cooperation on Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing with the aim to address the encroachment of fishing vessels. In 2016, the Thai Working Group for Addressing IUU Fishing between Thailand and Viet Nam was established by an order signed by the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand. It is chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and comprised of representatives from the Royal Thai Navy, the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center (ThaiMECC), the Office of the National Security Council, the Royal Thai Police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Marine Department, the Department of Fisheries and the Bureau of Foreign Agricultural Affairs. The Working Group will be in charge of coordinating with Vietnam's Task Force 689, which consists of representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of Government and the National Committee for Search and Rescue of Viet Nam. Three meetings were organized for The Thai Working Group and Taskforce 685 to discuss the tangible steps for preventing the fishing vessel from poaching each other’s waters.

The cooperation will take the form of sharing experiences, information, measures, and laws pertaining to IUU fishing. Thailand as the leader in the regional fight against IUU fishing and has been granted a “green card” from the EU will transfer experiences in addressing IUU fishing to Viet Nam. Over the last five years, the Department of Fisheries has not only provided an overview of Thailand's success in combating IUU fishing but also conducted a study visit to the Port-in and Port-out Center (PIPO) and the Fisheries Monitoring Center (FMC) for the Vietnamese delegation to demonstrate the operation of PIPO and FMC, highlighting the monitoring and control of fishing vessels approaching high-risk areas in transboundary waters, the alert given to the owner of the fishing vessel to avoid approaching maritime boarder areas, and the implementation of Port State Measure Agreement (PSMA). Furthermore, expert teams from the Department were dispatched to Viet Nam to provide information, monitor the development of VMS, provide technical assistance, and improve fishing grounds to ensure their sustainability in Ca Mau province by installing an artificial reef.

                        To strengthen cooperation, both countries are working on a Memorandum of Understanding on the exchange of IUU fishing information, which is currently being reviewed before being submitted to the Royal Cabinet for approval and signing. Meanwhile, Thailand and Viet Nam have coordinated and exchanged IUU fishing activities and other data-related information.