Combating IUU Fishing: Nine key focus areas before the EC inspection team's visit to Vietnam
WVR - On January 10, at the review meeting on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien outlined 9 key focus areas ahead of the European Commission (EC) inspection team's visit to Vietnam in April 2026.
Latest
 |
| Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien chaired the review meeting on combating IUU fishing on January 10, 2026. (Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) |
The meeting was attended by leaders from the Directorate of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance, the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development, the Department of Digital Transformation, along with representatives from Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group and Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT).
At the meeting, recognizing the urgency of lifting the yellow card before the EC's fifth inspection, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien emphasized the need to accelerate the implementation of technical and legal solutions.
The nine key focus areas proposed by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien include: Urgently completing the comprehensive operation of fishing vessel management systems and fishing activities, tightening the management of vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and logistics service vessels, thoroughly addressing "3 no" vessels, vessels violating foreign waters, and increasing administrative penalties for both fishermen and exporting enterprises.
The Deputy Minister requested the Directorate of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance to communicate this policy to 21 coastal provinces and cities so that localities can proactively prepare infrastructure, manpower, and training for fishermen. The directive is for localities to complete preparations before the Lunar New Year to ensure the system operates smoothly by mid-February 2026, providing sufficient actual data for the EC inspection team.
One of the most concerning issues is the feasibility of electronic logbook recording in the electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT) under real sea conditions. Many fishermen and vessel owners are worried that losing telecom signals while fishing offshore will prevent them from updating data, risking unjust penalties.
 |
| In 2026, the fisheries and fisheries surveillance sectors will tighten discipline, enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of law enforcement in combating IUU fishing. (Source: Directorate of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance) |
To address this issue, ministry leaders have agreed on a technical solution for the eCDT system and the national database VNFishbase, designed to operate stably in both Online and Offline modes.
Specifically, when vessels operate in remote areas without signals, fishermen can still record logs on the application as usual. The data will be temporarily stored on the device and automatically synchronized with the Directorate of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance's Data Center once the vessel regains satellite signal or returns to an area with coverage. This solution allows fishermen to stay at sea for extended periods, ensuring compliance without being entirely dependent on network infrastructure.
Additionally, the Deputy Minister requested the technical unit to design the software interface to be as simple and user-friendly as possible so that all fishermen can access it. The application will also be publicly available on app stores (App Store, CH Play) with access links to ensure transparency before international organizations.
For vessel owners, streamlining administrative procedures is an urgent need to reduce paperwork burdens. In reality, the current fishing vessel management process involves both the fisheries sector (management at ports) and the Border Guard (management of entry/exit at control stations).
At the meeting, Tran Chi Thanh, Deputy Director of the Government Solutions Centre, Viettel Business Solutions Corporation, confirmed that the connectivity infrastructure between the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has been technically completed. This data integration will allow fishermen's declarations at one point to be automatically shared with the other unit.
