Combat IUU Fishing: Prime Minister calls for maximum mobilization of time and resources
WVR - Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has signed Directive No. 03/CĐ-TTg dated January 13, 2026, focusing on continuing efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
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The directive was sent to the Ministers of Agriculture and Environment, Defense, Public Security, Foreign Affairs, Science and Technology, Industry and Trade; the Chief Government Inspector; Party Secretaries and Chairpersons of the People’s Committees of 22 coastal provinces and cities.
Recently, efforts to combat IUU fishing have shown progress; the compliance awareness of most fishermen and enterprises has improved; management of fishing vessels, monitoring of activities at sea, and traceability have gradually become more systematic; detection, prevention, and handling of violations have advanced.
However, IUU remains a direct challenge to national reputation, seafood exports, and the livelihoods of honest citizens. There must be no complacency or superficiality; no loopholes should arise in the organization and execution of duties.
Combating IUU and removing the "Yellow Card" warning is an exceptionally important and urgent task, requiring the highest political determination and coordinated, decisive action from the central to local levels. It is imperative not to allow a small group of organizations or individuals to violate the law or exploit, abet, or cover up actions that tarnish the national image internationally.
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| The Prime Minister demands the establishment of an interagency inspection team to check localities on combating IUU, with a report due by January 25, 2026. (Source: Quảng Ninh Newspaper) |
The Prime Minister requires ministers, heads of relevant agencies, and chairpersons of the People’s Committees of coastal provinces and cities to continue to thoroughly implement Directive No. 32-CT/TW dated April 10, 2024, from the Secretariat, along with directives from the Government, the Prime Minister, and related documents. They must resolutely "declare war" on IUU, mobilizing maximum time and resources to regularly organize and implement the following key and urgent tasks:
Establish an interagency inspection team to check localities, report by January 25, 2026
1. The Minister of Agriculture and Environment is directed to:
Continue to lead and coordinate with the Ministries of Defense, Public Security, Justice, and relevant agencies to establish an interagency inspection team to check localities. Focus on evaluating results, closing files, clarifying responsibilities at all levels based on inspection results, compiling results, and reporting to the Prime Minister by January 25, 2026. The inspection team will focus on the following areas:
- Verify the authenticity of the "file closure" results reported by localities (very high rate, over 90%); clarify whether the file closure complies with regulations, whether violations were overlooked or improperly penalized; and determine the responsibility of each level, agency, unit, and individual involved.
- Management and monitoring of fishing fleets (registration, deregistration, and management of "three no" fishing vessels at the base).
- Implementation of policies to establish fishing ports and enhance control measures for fishing vessels departing and arriving (entering/exiting ports), ensuring management according to regulations.
- Prevention and handling of fraudulent goods, fraudulent records, and documents (if any) in the exploitation - purchasing - processing - exporting seafood chain.
- Check enterprises' self-declaration, self-reporting, and organization to rectify existing issues in processing and exporting to the EU and other markets; verify the completeness and honesty of self-declared content, implementation of corrective measures, and results; if violations are found, recommend competent authorities to inspect and handle according to regulations.
- Situation and results of investigating and handling cases related to violations in foreign waters; coordination between functional agencies during investigation and handling according to regulations.
- Installation and maintenance of Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) equipment; compliance with regulations on connection, operation, monitoring, and handling of violations related to VMS.
- Check the operation of the local fisheries database; verify updates, management, reconciliation, and data exploitation for state management, administrative violation penalties, and licensing/control of fishing vessels entering/exiting according to regulations.
- Check the implementation of occupational transition policies at the local level; evaluate beneficiaries, implementation results, and livelihood support effectiveness according to regulations.
Complete technical solutions for stable, synchronized, interconnected VMS and Fisheries Data Platforms
2. The Minister of Science and Technology is directed to:
Lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of Public Security, and telecommunications enterprises to standardize and interconnect the fisheries database, ensuring data is accurate, complete, clean, and live; review and complete technical solutions for stable, synchronized, interconnected VMS and fisheries data platforms; promptly resolve technical issues regarding connection, transmission, storage, and data sharing, meeting management requirements for fishing vessels entering/exiting ports, handling administrative violations, licensing, traceability, and comprehensive reporting as required.
3. The Minister of Defense is directed to:
Continue patrolling and controlling waters adjacent to other countries to prevent fishing vessels from violating foreign waters; direct border posts/stations to strictly control fishing vessels entering and exiting through border stations, ensuring consistency with fishing vessel data entering and exiting fishing ports; enhance communication and guidance for captains and shipowners to implement the eCDT system according to regulations.
4. The Minister of Public Security is directed to:
Urgently investigate and prosecute cases of brokering fishing vessels/fishermen violating foreign waters; expedite investigation and resolution of organizations and individuals violating related to swordfish shipments at some enterprises as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
5. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is directed to:
Work with local authorities and detained captains abroad to investigate, gather evidence, and thoroughly handle violations according to regulations. Complete this by January 25, 2026.
6. The Chief Government Inspector is directed to:
Focus on inspecting certain localities as required; clarify responsibilities in organizing and executing tasks to combat IUU. Report results to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment for compilation by January 25, 2026.
Absolutely No Reporting "100% resolved" when issues remain unresolved
7. Party Secretaries are requested to direct Chairpersons of the People’s Committees of provinces and cities with fishing vessels to take responsibility for allocating and concentrating resources to decisively and seriously implement measures to combat IUU, taking direct and comprehensive responsibility before the Government and the Prime Minister for handling administrative violations and "file closure" in combating IUU.
- Organize a comprehensive review of all closed files, ensuring closure is based on full legal grounds, following proper procedures; resolutely reject superficial file closures, non-penalization, or improper penalization. If closed files lack sufficient grounds, promptly re-handle according to legal regulations and consider the responsibility of related organizations and individuals, especially the responsibility of leaders; absolutely no reporting "100% resolved" when issues remain unresolved.
- Allocate resources to effectively implement eCDT systems, electronic logbooks (e-logbooks), and update specialized data "accurately, completely, cleanly, and live"; organize reviews of export shipments to the EU by local enterprises as directed.
- Report on reviewing and adjusting statistical solutions, reconciling data on fishing vessels departing and arriving (entering/exiting ports), ensuring data consistency, and avoiding discrepancies between forces, control stages, and related data systems.
- Immediately implement the inspection team's requirements; rectify issues according to conclusions/recommendations after inspection; clarify responsibilities at all levels for limitations and shortcomings (if any), and report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment by January 25, 2026.
- Develop and approve a sustainable fisheries development plan for the locality and report to the Prime Minister by January 25, 2026.
8. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (Standing Agency of the National Steering Committee on IUU) is assigned to lead with the Government Office to inspect, urge, compile, and report to the Prime Minister on the implementation results of this directive.
