Tight control over fishing vessels at sea

The Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee have consistently prioritised leadership, guidance, and regular inspections of the fisheries sector, with a particular emphasis on IUU prevention.

The provincial Steering Committee for IUU Prevention was established immediately after the merger of Tra Vinh, Ben Tre, and Vinh Long.

The Provincial People’s Committee has chaired numerous meetings, conducted on-site inspections, and reviewed IUU prevention efforts in relevant units and localities, thereby promptly detecting, correcting, and addressing shortcomings.

This includes assigning officials and Party members to key fishing areas to take responsibility for high-risk vessel owners, carrying out direct communication and persuasion efforts.

These efforts have yielded strong results, particularly in promoting compliance with vessel monitoring regulations. The rate of vessels losing connection to the monitoring system has fallen compared to the same period last year, and most owners now strictly report their coordinates if their vessels lose connection at sea.

Binh Dai Commune, which has the second-highest number of fishing vessels in the province (610), has worked closely with relevant agencies and the Border Guard Station at Giao Long Port to intensively implement IUU prevention measures.

Huynh Van Mai, Chairman of the Binh Dai Commune People’s Committee, said: “We have cooperated with the Sub-Department of Fisheries, Coast Guard, and Border Guard to conduct IUU prevention and search-and-rescue awareness sessions for 221 vessel owners in the commune. To date, 526 vessels – 100% of those required – have installed voyage monitoring devices. All owners have signed commitments not to fish in foreign waters. Thanks to these coordinated, decisive measures, and strong consensus among fishermen, our locality has had no cases of vessels violating foreign waters.”

As of now, 2,241 out of 2,263 vessels in Vinh Long have installed monitoring devices, reaching 99.03%. The remaining 22 include two newly relocated vessels awaiting installation procedures, and 20 damaged or inactive vessels.

Determined to lift the IUU ‘Yellow Card’

Nguyen Van Buoi, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, stated: “Vinh Long has strictly implemented regulations on notifying the list of vessels at high risk of IUU violations in accordance with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment’s circular. As of July 25, the province had 195 such vessels. The province is continuing to seriously implement IUU prevention measures to maintain our achievements, and meet targets for vessel registration and fishing licences.”

Since 2024, law compliance in fishing activities has improved significantly, with no cases of vessels violating foreign waters, being detained, or fishing beyond maritime boundaries. These results have been achieved thanks to the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee’s focused leadership, direction, and inspection, along with the strict implementation of central documents, Government resolutions, and directives from the Government and the Prime Minister on strengthening IUU fishing prevention.

However, shortcomings remain in line with the European Commission’s “Yellow Card” recommendations. These include 303 vessels (10.17%) overdue for registration, 195 vessels (4.19%) without fishing licences, and 115 unregistered vessels. Voyage monitoring disconnections persist, with 2,529 incidents of vessels losing connection for more than six hours recorded in the first seven months of the year.

Nguyen Quynh Thien, Vice Chairman of the Vinh Long Provincial People’s Committee, stated: To maintain the achievements gained in recent times, while determined to address existing shortcomings, and prepare as thoroughly as possible for the upcoming working sessions with the European Commission’s IUU inspection team, the Provincial People’s Committee has instructed provincial departments, sectoral agencies, and the People’s Committees of communes and wards to continue effectively implementing the directives of the Party Secretariat, the Government, and the Prime Minister.

He stressed the need for decisive actions, including: intensive campaigns to ensure vessel registration and licensing targets; peak patrols to detect and sanction “three-no” vessels (no registration, no licence, no monitoring device), unqualified vessels, and IUU violations, especially in estuaries and coastal areas.

In addition, vessel owners in the locality are being encouraged and persuaded to strictly comply with regulations on fishing activities, vessel monitoring, refraining from fishing beyond maritime boundaries, and completing port arrival and departure procedures in accordance with the law.

At the same time, they are urged to proactively ensure safety at sea, engage in responsible fishing, avoid violations in foreign waters, and actively participate in safeguarding maritime sovereignty and islands.