Nghe An province is taking decisive measures to combat IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing.

On the afternoon of April 22nd, a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, led by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing, worked with Nghe An province on the fight against IUU fishing in the province.

Receiving and working with the delegation were: Mr. Hoang Nghia Hieu - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Mr. Phung Thanh Vinh - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Hoang Quoc Viet - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, along with representatives from relevant departments and agencies.

Many noteworthy results

Nghe An currently has over 3,000 fishing vessels, of which more than 2,720 are fishing boats longer than 6 meters. Authorities have compiled statistics and reviewed the group of fishing boats lacking proper documentation (3 no's, ...

As of April 21st, the entire province has 2,723 registered fishing vessels, reaching 100% registration and fully updated on the Vnfishbase database system. Inspections have confirmed that 100% of eligible fishing vessels have been marked and numbered according to regulations.

The total number of fishing vessels with valid registration on the VNFishbase system is 1,363/1,451 vessels (94%), reaching 100% of vessels currently in operation; the total number of licensed fishing vessels with valid registration is 2,534/2,723 vessels, reaching 93.06% and 100% of vessels currently in operation; 991/1,046 fishing vessels have been issued valid Food Safety Certificates, reaching 94.74% of the total number of vessels requiring certificates and 100% of vessels currently in operation; 1,040/1,046 vessels have installed VMS equipment, reaching 99.43%.

For fishing vessels that do not meet the requirements for fishing operations, the Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Sub-Department will periodically send weekly lists to the People's Committees of districts and communes, and the coastal border guard posts for notification and public posting in the community for people to monitor. They will regularly and closely monitor the mooring locations of fishing vessels; for vessels that have not installed VMS (Vehicle Monitoring System), weekly photos of the mooring locations will be sent to the Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Sub-Department for monitoring and management. Fishing vessels that do not meet the requirements will be resolutely prevented from leaving the harbor to fish. In the first quarter of 2025, the number of fishing vessels monitored was 6,229; the monitored seafood production was 22,331 tons, reaching nearly 50% of the total seafood production of the entire province.

Law enforcement and handling of IUU fishing violations have been strengthened and intensified, especially regarding violations related to VMS (Vietnam Marine Protected Area). Since the beginning of this year alone, Nghe An province has fined 40 cases/40 individuals, totaling over 890 million VND.

Efforts and determination in implementing solutions.

Despite significant achievements, the fight against IUU fishing still faces some limitations. Registration, licensing, food safety, and vessel tracking systems installation are not yet 100% complete. The loss of VMS connectivity between fishing vessels at sea continues to occur, and the handling of violations by authorities due to these disconnections remains slow…

To effectively combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the coming period, Nghe An province has proposed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment: Prioritize investment in projects to upgrade and build infrastructure for fishing ports, jetties, and storm shelters, as well as other key projects. Instruct and require VMS service providers to respond promptly to verification requests from relevant authorities so that the authorities have a basis for taking action. Instruct registration centers to report the results of registered fishing vessels to local authorities and update them fully on the VnFishbase software for effective monitoring and management.

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Hoang Nghia Hieu affirmed: The province will focus resources on building fisheries infrastructure to meet practical requirements. At the same time, it will intensify propaganda to raise awareness and ensure compliance with regulations on this issue.

"

Nghe An will continue to implement serious measures in the fight against IUU fishing, being resolute in all aspects such as fleet management, vessel tracking equipment, and handling violations.

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Hoang Nghia Hieu

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien requested Nghe An province to continue directing and decisively implementing solutions to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the province. He emphasized the need to focus on monitoring, reviewing, and supervising the activities of all fishing vessels in the province, especially those 15 meters or longer, regarding their fishing routes, port entry and exit history, etc. He also stressed the importance of strengthening inspections, supervision, and strictly handling violations.