Directive No. 01/2005/CT-BTS On Strengthening Management and Ensuring Safety for People and Fishing Vessels Engaged in Fisheries Activities

DIRECTIVE

On Strengthening Management and Ensuring Safety for Fishermen and Fishing Boats Engaged in Aquaculture Activities

In recent years, agencies and units within the aquaculture sector have made significant efforts in organizing the management of fishing boats and ensuring safety for fishermen and fishing boats engaged in aquaculture activities. However, there are still many fishing boats that have not been registered or inspected, and the installation of safety equipment on boats has not been strictly managed, leading to accidents involving fishing boats... for this situation, relevant management agencies bear responsibility.

To address these issues, the Ministry of Fisheries instructs the Departments, Bureaus, and units under the Ministry, Fisheries Departments, Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development responsible for aquaculture management (hereinafter referred to collectively as the Fisheries Department), and Fisheries Resource Protection Inspection Units to implement the following matters:

1. Designate 2005 as the "Year of Strengthening Management and Ensuring Safety for Fishermen and Fishing Boats Engaged in Aquaculture Activities" in the aquaculture sector.

2. Strive to completely resolve the issue of unmanaged fishing boats by the end of 2005, ensuring that all fishing boats with a power capacity of 50 horsepower or more are registered and have local boat numbers.

3. Strengthen propaganda and education for fishermen and fishing boat owners to understand the benefits and importance of ensuring safety for fishermen and fishing boats engaged in aquaculture activities; professional knowledge on ensuring maritime safety; equipping sufficient safety devices and purchasing crew insurance; regulations on fishing activities in various sea areas.

4. Improve the quality of technical safety inspections and ensure safety for fishermen and fishing boats engaged in aquaculture activities.

5. Implement measures for marine production organization to meet technical standards while being economically feasible for fishermen to overcome the current poor equipment condition of fishing boats.

Develop model organizations for aquaculture production to ensure sustainable production development, safety for fishermen and fishing boats, and maintain public order in water areas under management.

6. Strengthen inspection and supervision of the activities of fishermen and fishing boats in water areas to ensure that all registered and inspected fishing boats are equipped with complete safety devices and operate within their permitted safety limits.

7. The Fisheries Departments are responsible for advising the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities and directing the Fisheries Resource Protection Inspection Units to perform the following tasks:

- Understand the number and operating areas of fishermen and fishing boats under local management; the situation of fishermen and fishing boats from other regions operating in the sea area under their own management.

- Coordinate with functional departments at the local level to strictly manage the quality of life-saving equipment produced and supplied by establishments on the local market. Firmly prevent substandard life-saving equipment from circulating in the market and being installed on fishing boats.

8. The Fisheries Resources Exploitation and Protection Department is responsible for coordinating with units under the Ministry and related sectors:

- Direct and organize the Fisheries Resource Protection and Development Inspection Units to strictly implement the management contents of fishing boats as stipulated in this directive.

- Organize inspection campaigns to strictly manage the activities of fishing boats.

- Consolidate and develop plans to organize the national fishing boat inspection force to meet assigned requirements; organize training and instruction for inspection officers capable of managing the entire fleet of the aquaculture sector.

- Regularly report to the Minister on the implementation results of this directive.

Heads of Departments, Bureaus, Inspectors General, Office of the Ministry, Directors of Fisheries Departments, Chiefs of Fisheries Resource Protection Inspection Units of provinces, heads of subordinate units shall base their functions and tasks to coordinate with relevant agencies to strictly implement this directive./.

The heads of the Departments, Bureaus, inspection units, the Ministry's Office, the Directors of Fisheries Departments, the Chiefs of Fisheries Resource Protection Branches in the provinces, and the heads of subordinate units under the Ministry shall, based on their assigned functions and tasks, coordinate with relevant agencies to strictly implement this Directive./.