Combating IUU Fishing: Khanh Hoa supports fishermen, Ca Mau achieves comprehensive transformation
WVR - Eight years after the European Commission (EC) issued the "yellow card" for IUU fishing, Vietnam's fisheries sector has shown significant progress. The pressure from EC's recommendations has become a driving force for localities to invest in infrastructure, innovate management methods, and aim for a transparent, modern fishery.
Latest
Khanh Hoa implements decisive measures
In Khanh Hoa, decisive measures have been implemented. The fishery inspection and control system at ports helps manage records, fishing logs, and port entry and exit activities. Shipowners are only allowed to set sail when they maintain monitoring equipment and complete procedures. Interdisciplinary inspections are conducted comprehensively, contributing to improved management efficiency.
Thanks to regular communication, fishermen's legal compliance awareness has increased, and the issue of "three no" boats and illegal fishing routes is being gradually resolved.
Fishermen understand the current management requirements but hope for continued technical support from authorities, reduced equipment maintenance costs, and specific guidance to facilitate compliance. They are eager to adhere to regulations to help lift the IUU yellow card, maintain fishing grounds, and ensure long-term stability at sea.
 |
| Thanks to regular communication, fishermen's legal compliance awareness has increased, and the issue of "three no" boats and illegal fishing routes in Khánh Hòa is being gradually resolved. (Source: Khanh Hoa Newspaper) |
In reality, to help lift the "yellow card", the fishing fleet of the Nam Nha Trang Fisheries Union is currently fully compliant with legal regulations when participating in marine fishing.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Khanh Hoa Province, the locality harvests over 32,000 tons of aquaculture products annually, with marine farming accounting for about 50%; seafood export turnover in 2024 reached nearly 850 million USD.
The province currently has over 80,800 lobster cages, 15,000 marine fish cages, and 558 breeding facilities, supplying over 41 billion fry annually, accounting for about 30% of the country's fry production. These results indicate positive changes in fishery management, contributing to sustainable, responsible development that meets international integration requirements.
Ca Mau identifies combating IUU fishing as a key political task
The year 2025 marks a significant transformation in Ca Mau's efforts to combat IUU fishing. With the concerted efforts of the entire political system, Cà Mau has achieved important results in fleet management, journey monitoring, traceability, and violation handling, thereby contributing to sustainable fishery management and gradually meeting EC's recommendations.
Strictly implementing directives from the Secretariat, the Government, the Prime Minister, and the National Steering Committee on IUU, Cà Mau identifies combating IUU fishing as a key political task, directly linked to national reputation and the sustainable livelihoods of fishermen.
Mr. Pham Van Muoi, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ca Mau Province, stated that in 2025, the department proactively advised the provincial People's Committee to issue numerous directives and specific action plans; simultaneously, inspections and monitoring of implementation in coastal localities were organized. The province has implemented and completed 19 out of 19 tasks assigned by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU, ensuring timely progress with no delays.
Notably, the province has assigned each local official and party member to manage about five fishing vessels, with provincial-level officials providing professional support for fleet management at the grassroots level. This approach has clearly demonstrated the roles and responsibilities of local governments, creating a strong transformation from awareness to action within the fishing community.
One of the standout results of IUU combat efforts in Ca Mau in 2025 is the absolute legal compliance in fishing fleet management.
 |
| The Ca Mau Provincial Border Guard distributes leaflets and guides local fishermen during the peak month of combating IUU fishing. (Source: VGP) |
As of December 19, 2025, the province has 5,181 fishing vessels, all of which (5,181/5,181) have been registered and fully updated on the VNFishbase system; 100% of fishing vessels have been issued fishing licenses; no vessels are unregistered or unlicensed.
For vessels that are inactive or no longer have fishing needs, the province assigns local authorities to closely monitor and manage them, taking photos of mooring positions every seven days to digitize records, ensuring no unqualified vessels participate in fishing activities. Additionally, 100% of fishing vessels have properly written registration numbers and markings; registration for aquaculture service vessels is complete, ending the situation of "off-channel" operations with unclear information.
Journey monitoring and port entry and exit control for fishing vessels continue to be strictly and continuously implemented in Ca Mau.
Traceability of seafood is identified by Ca Mau as a crucial step in efforts to lift the EC's "yellow card". The confirmation and certification of harvested seafood are conducted in accordance with regulations, with no erroneous records requiring explanation.
In 2025: 28 receipts were issued for 171 tons of seafood (cumulative 1,360 receipts/7,627 tons); 5 certificates of harvested seafood materials (SC) were issued for 58,170 tons (cumulative 903 certificates/12,875.04 tons); 7 certificates of harvested seafood origin (CC) were issued for 83,817 tons (cumulative 877 certificates/12,460.578 tons).
Law enforcement in combating IUU fishing in Ca Mau has been significantly strengthened, ensuring violations are detected and addressed promptly.
For violations in foreign waters, the province has verified and handled 14 fishing vessels, including: administrative fines for 9 vessels; criminal prosecution for 1 vessel; 4 cases tried, sentencing 6 defendants to a total of 35 years in prison and 20 million VND in fines.
Regarding VMS disconnection violations and crossing sea boundaries, from January 1, 2024, to December 19, 2025, the province detected 3,210 fishing vessels and addressed 100% of them. Among these: 88 vessels were fined (accounting for 2.74%); 3,122 vessels had their cases closed (accounting for 97.26%) due to objective reasons and compliance with regulations.
The resolution of violations has created a clear deterrent effect, contributing to changing fishermen's fishing behavior towards legal compliance.
In addition to technical and legal solutions, Ca Mau places special emphasis on communication and advocacy. In 2025, the province conducted: 102 reports, 877 news articles in print and online newspapers; distributed 18,870 leaflets, 5,000 brochures, 10,000 posters; organized 47 training sessions with 4,007 participants; sent 51,403 informational messages to fishermen.
The commune-level radio system broadcasts IUU fishing prevention content twice a day, contributing to raising awareness and creating consensus within the fishing community.
According to the assessment of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ca Mau Province, the efforts to combat IUU fishing in the province have shown clear, comprehensive, and substantial progress. The complete fulfillment of tasks as directed by the Central Government, strict fleet management, effective control of fishing activities, and strict violation handling have laid a solid foundation for the country to move towards lifting the EC's "yellow card".
