Digital transformation in fishing vessel management strengthens anti-IUU efforts
In an effort to address the European Commission's IUU “yellow card,” the application of technology and digital transformation in fishing vessel management is becoming a key, fundamental solution to improve the efficiency of fisheries management and ensure transparency and legality in Vietnam's fishing activities.
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| 100% of fishing vessels in localities have been registered and updated on the Vnfishbase system, creating a unified data platform for managing the fishing fleet nationwide. (Photo: VNA) |
The development and synchronized operation of database systems and specialized software contributes to a fundamental shift in management methods from manual to modern, data-driven approaches.
The Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection was tasked with developing component databases and has already deployed 12 specialized software programs in the fisheries sector. Specifically for the management of fishing activities, serving the goal of combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, four key systems have been put into operation: the National Fisheries Database (Vnfishbase), the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), the Database of Administrative Sanctions in the Fisheries Sector, and the Electronic Fisheries Traceability System (e-CDT).
Among them, Vnfishbase is considered the "backbone" of the modern fisheries management system. This software fundamentally meets the operational requirements of fisheries exploitation, especially the management of fishing vessel data from the central to local levels. Officially launched in 2019, Vnfishbase allows for the unified updating, exploitation, and management of information on fishing vessel registration and fishing license issuance, especially for fishing vessels 15 meters or longer – a key target group in IUU monitoring.
According to Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh, Deputy Director of the Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Center (Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection), the system has now been deployed synchronously in provinces and cities with fishing vessels operating at sea.
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Data on fishing vessels has been standardized and regularly updated and utilized by localities, promptly serving the needs of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment as well as local authorities for searching, directing, and managing operations. Notably, 100% of fishing vessels in localities have been registered and updated on the Vnfishbase system, creating a unified data platform for managing the fishing fleet nationwide.
In line with the task of identifying fishing vessels under the Government 's Project on developing data applications on population, identification and electronic authentication to serve national digital transformation in the period 2022-2025, with a vision to 2030, the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection has coordinated with the Department of Administrative Police for Social Order and the Department of Digital Transformation to connect Vnfishbase with the National Population Database.
This data linkage helps increase accuracy in managing fishing vessels, directly serving the tasks of combating IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing. Simultaneously, the Department continues to coordinate with relevant units to review, clean, and update data on the system, aiming for the criteria of "accurate, complete, relevant, and clean."
In various localities, the application of digital technology in fishing vessel management is yielding clear results. In Ho Chi Minh City, 100% of fishing vessels have been registered and fully updated on Vnfishbase; the list of deregistered fishing vessels is publicly available and synchronized with the VMS vessel tracking system, effectively serving the identification, inspection, and control work at sea.
To make the system more efficient, Ms. Pham Thi Na, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the Department has proposed adding some necessary information fields to Vnfishbase, including data on food safety certification of fishing vessels, and has also requested registration units to fully update the list of registered fishing vessels, ensuring data consistency.
Besides fleet management, electronic traceability of seafood from harvesting is identified as a key step to meet the requirements of the export market. The e-CDT system is now not only applied to fishing vessels with a length of 15 meters or more as required by regulations, but has also attracted thousands of fishing vessels with a length of 6 meters or more to participate. Local authorities have directed relevant agencies to review and guide fishermen to fully implement the procedures for leaving and arriving at ports on the e-CDT system.
In Dong Thap, the implementation of e-CDT has been carried out synchronously, ensuring that 100% of fishing vessels entering and leaving ports are declared on the system, and 100% of receipt issuance documents are processed electronically. As a result, the transparency and legality of harvested seafood products have been significantly enhanced. Instead of having to go directly to the Port Management Board to complete procedures, fishermen only need to declare on the e-CDT software about an hour before the vessel arrives at the port.
Fisherman Le Hoai Thuong from Cang Hamlet, Tran De Commune, Can Tho City, said that the e-CDT software integrates a lot of important information such as catch volume and fishing areas, helping fishermen quickly resolve administrative procedures related to fishing vessel operations, while also facilitating inspection and supervision by management forces.
According to Mr. Lu Tan Hoa, Deputy Head of the Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Department of Can Tho City, the application of digital technology has contributed to improving the management capacity of the fishing fleet, preventing and promptly handling cases with the potential for IUU violations, and increasing transparency in the traceability of seafood for export.
Nevertheless, the digital transformation process in fisheries management still faces many challenges, especially in technical infrastructure and system operation capacity at the grassroots level. According to Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh, in the coming time, it is necessary to continue upgrading and expanding Vnfishbase and related systems to meet the requirements of comprehensive digital transformation; at the same time, strengthen training for staff at all levels on operation and data exploitation.
(Source: VNA)
