10/06/2017
In the morning of June 6, the National Assembly held a plenary session at the Auditorium to hear reports on the Project of Law on Fisheries(amended).
Under the mandate of the Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong presented the Proposal for the Law on Fisheries (revised).

Explaining the need to develop the project, Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that the Law on Fisheries was passed by the National Assembly on November 26, 2003 and came into effect on July 1, 2004, which basically creates an important legal corridor to regulate social relations in the fisheries sector.
As a result, the fisheries sector has gradually shifted from personal fisheries to commercial fisheries. Over the past years, the sector has achieved remarkable results, contributing greatly to agricultural growth as well as raising the export value of Vietnam’s agricultural products (seafood export increased from 2.2 USD billion in 2003 to USD 7.16 billion in 2016)

However, after 13 years of implementation, the Law on Fisheries 2003 has revealed some shortcomings. Some regulations have not kept up with the fast development of the fisheries sector in Vietnam. Some regulations do not meet the requirements of the Government’s administrative reforms, including the requirement of strengthening the socialization of public services, simplifying administrative procedures and decentralizing the decentralization.
Moreover, some regulations are no longer in line with the new fisheries legislation passed by the National Assembly (Law on Investment, Enterprise Law, Land Law …). And some regulations do not meet the requirements of international integration, including regulations on traceability of fisheries, regulations against illegal fishing, regulations on measures of port states, etc.
In addition, there are still major challenges for the fisheries sector to address such as: the development of the fisheries sector is not sustainable; capacity and experience in management, investment in equipment for inspection and control of fishery activities is limited; climate change is still complicated, unpredictable; aquatic resources are showing signs of decline, habitats of aquatic species are at risk of pollution; the trend of increasing trade protection, technical barriers of importing countries, etc.
At the same time, Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong emphasized that the amendment of the Law on Fisheries 2003 is very necessary to institutionalize guidelines, and policies of the Party and the State on agriculture and rural development in general and fishery development in particular. Especially Resolution No. 09-NQ / TW 2007 on the sea strategy of Vietnam until 2020, Resolution No. 26-NQ / TW 2008 on agriculture, farmers, rural areas, etc.
The guiding view of the drafting of the Law is to institutionalize the Party’s and State’s undertakings, policies and reforms in the field of fisheries. It is in line with the strategy of sector development and restructuring along the value chain, enhancing added value and sustainable development.
Inheriting the contents and provisions of the 2003 Fisheries Law have been in line with reality, the amendments and supplements must meet the practical requirements, overcome the limitations and inadequacies of the Fisheries Law. 2003.
The amendments must ensure the compatibility with the Constitution and current legal documents; meet the needs of development and integration of the fishery sector. It must be appropriate with international treaties which our country has signed or acceded to, meeting the requirements of administrative reform; strengthening local decentralization and maximum socialization of public services …
The Law Project is structured with 8 chapters, 100 articles (including 12 articles, 50 amendments, 38 new ones).
Report on Project Validation of Law by the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment pointed out that the process of drafting the Law on Fisheries (revised) of the Government to submit to the National Assembly was fully and properly implemented as stipulated in the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents.
The drafting committee held a three-year, six-year and 13-year review of the fisheries legislation, assessing the impact of the Fisheries Law on socio-economic development and the Vietnamese fisheries sector; organizing workshops to contribute ideas to local law, surveying and studying law on fisheries in many countries.
“The Committee said that the draft Fisheries Law (amended) was eligible to submit to the XIV National Assembly for consideration and comment. After the 3rd session, under the direction of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment will coordinate with the drafting committee and relevant agencies to study and adopt draft amendments of law, “said Mr. Phan Xuan Dung, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee on Science, Technology and Environment.
Nguyen Hoang
According to the Government News