Authorities detect and penalize fishing boat owners for possessing illegal fishing equipment.
On the morning of January 13th, the Provincial Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Department, in coordination with the Cua Lo Control Station - Cua Lo - Ben Thuy Port Border Guard Post, fined a fisherman from Dien Chau commune for illegally transporting and possessing fishing gear on his fishing vessel.
Specifically, according to the Provincial Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Department, during a joint patrol on the morning of January 13th, in the waters off Cua Lo, a task force from the two agencies inspected and discovered that a fishing vessel with registration number NA-80228-TS belonging to fisherman Vu The Ty (born in 1970) from Dien Chau (formerly Ngoc Bich commune), operating in the coastal waters of Cua Lo, was transporting and storing an electric shock device including a generator motor, electrical wires, and hundreds of meters of fishing nets, which were being assembled on the vessel.
Representatives from the Fisheries Inspection Department of the Provincial Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Sub-Department stated that the fishing vessel, measuring 13.6 meters in length, had all the necessary documents, including a fishing vessel registration certificate, crew roster, technical safety certificate, and a captain's certificate for a Class II fishing vessel. During the report, the task force clearly stated that the use of electric shock fishing, which is destructive to aquatic resources, is prohibited by the 2017 Fisheries Law and subject to strict administrative penalties under the Government Decree.
After bringing the vessel owner to the Border Guard Station to consolidate the file and evidence, the task force drew up a report and handed over the case. The Cua Lo - Ben Thuy Port Border Guard Station applied Clause 3, Article 28 of Decree 38/2024/ND-CP on handling administrative violations in the field of fisheries, fining the fishing vessel owner 12.5 million VND. In addition to the fine, all confiscated items including the generator, fishing gear, electric shock motor, and electrical wires were seized, and the fishing vessel owner had their captain and chief engineer certificates revoked for 3-6 months.
Mr. Mai Hong Phong, Head of the Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Department of Nghe An province, added: During this peak period, functional agencies will strengthen patrols and inspections, and if any violations are found, they will direct and propose thorough handling. Previously, on January 9th and 12th, the Quynh Phuong Border Guard Station discovered and fined a fishing boat owner for possessing 2.4 kg of suspected explosives, detonators, and slow-burning fuses on board the vessel.
