“G Hour” approaches, localities step up efforts to combat IUU fishing
WVR - The European Commission (EC) inspection team is expected to visit Vietnam for the fifth time in the first quarter of 2026, marking the last opportunity for Vietnam to lift the "yellow card" against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
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After eight years of efforts to address the EC's fisheries "yellow card", Vietnam's fight against IUU fishing has achieved significant positive results. With the highest determination, the National Steering Committee on combating IUU fishing, under the direct guidance of the Government, has organized regular meetings every Tuesday, involving multiple ministries and sectors, connected with coastal provinces and cities. The entire political system, from central to local levels, is committed to focusing on the task of combating IUU fishing.
Quang Ngai implements comprehensive and decisive measures
Along with the entire country, Quang Ngai province has implemented comprehensive and decisive measures against IUU fishing. In 2025, the Provincial People's Committee continuously issued action plans focusing on combating IUU fishing and developing the fisheries sector sustainably. This demonstrates the province's thorough, decisive, and consistent approach in the fight against IUU fishing, considering it a top political priority.
Thanks to the encouragement, guidance, and determination of the authorities, most fishing boat owners in the province now strictly comply with regulations on combating IUU fishing.
Fisherman Nguyen Thanh Son, from Tra Cau ward, shared, “With the authorities' propaganda and guidance, I and the local fishing community have better understood the benefits and significance of combating IUU fishing. We always comply with regulations on port entry and exit, keep the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) on throughout the fishing process, and fish in designated areas to protect marine resources.”
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| Boats anchored at Tinh Hoa storm shelter combined with fishing port. (Source: Quang Ngai Newspaper) |
By the end of December 2025, the province had nearly 4,850 fishing vessels, with almost 3,000 measuring 15 meters or longer. To date, 100% of fishing vessels have been registered and updated in the national fisheries database (VNFishbase). All vessels 15 meters or longer in operation have installed VMS. Fishing vessels entering and leaving ports are required to declare and fully record their fishing logs.
Additionally, the authorities have completed handling fishing vessels that lost VMS connection or crossed the allowed boundary. For high-risk IUU violation vessels, local authorities and relevant forces have sealed them at ports and strictly monitored them, ensuring they do not set sail.
Vo Van Hai, Director of the Fisheries and Island Department of the province, stated that in 2026, the department will continue to strictly manage fishing vessels according to the announced fishing license quota. They will coordinate with localities to review and remove deregistered, sunken vessels from the national fisheries database VNFishbase and identify boats according to Project 06.
Ensuring 100% of fishing vessels 15 meters or longer engaged in fishing activities have VMS installed and hold fishing licenses. Emphasis is placed on implementing regulations for marking fishing vessels, re-registering converted fishing vessels, and post-installation inspections of VMS on fishing vessels...
According to Ho Trong Phuong, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, lifting the EC's fisheries "yellow card" is not merely to avoid economic losses from reduced exports to the European market but is a prerequisite for the sustainable, responsible, and deeply integrated development of Vietnam's fisheries sector, particularly in Quang Ngai province.
Ending illegal fishing in foreign waters not only affirms national credibility but also contributes to protecting national sovereignty and maritime security.
Quang Ngai province, one of the localities with a strong fleet and significant fisheries output in the country, is demonstrating high political determination, taking decisive, specific, comprehensive, and continuous actions to implement the EC's recommendations.
The goal is not only to lift the EC's "yellow card" but also to build a modern, internationally compliant, marine resource-respecting, environmentally protective fisheries sector that ensures long-term livelihoods for fishermen.
Nghe An tightens fishing vessel management
Following the Prime Minister's and the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee's directives on enhancing IUU fishing prevention, Nghe An province is implementing comprehensive measures to review and tighten fishing vessel management, resolutely preventing unqualified vessels from setting sail.
Specifically, implementing Directive No. 358-CV/TU of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee and Document No. 14608/UBND-NN of the Provincial People's Committee on urgent and key tasks against IUU fishing, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requires heads of departments, sectors, and coastal commune and ward authorities to enhance responsibility, directly lead, and be accountable for preventing and ending IUU fishing in their areas.
Accordingly, the Department of Agriculture and Environment is assigned to lead, in coordination with the provincial Border Guard and coastal localities, to conduct a comprehensive review and inspection of IUU fishing prevention efforts. Data collection must be honest, accurate, and supported by evidence and images. Daily, the department organizes the reconciliation of fishing vessel entry and exit data between the Border Guard and fishing ports; promptly clarifying discrepancies, including cases of vessels docking at unofficial ports.
Furthermore, the province continues to strictly enforce regulations on registration, inspection, and licensing of fishing activities; tightly control unqualified fishing vessels; monitor fishing vessels entering and leaving ports, and manage fish unloading volumes at ports, including private fishing ports, in accordance with legal regulations.
The Department of Agriculture and Environment is also tasked with continuing to review, compile, and publicly list "three no" fishing vessels in the fisheries database; clearly categorizing unqualified vessels, deregistered vessels, and reasons for deregistration. Management efforts are required to be vessel-specific, ensuring knowledge of vessel owners, operational status, docking locations, and related images; the list of deregistered vessels is publicly available for authorities to identify and control at sea.
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| The Nghe An Provincial People's Committee also assigns specific tasks to relevant departments, sectors, Customs Area XI, and coastal commune and ward authorities to closely coordinate and promptly complete assigned tasks. (Source: Nghe An Newspaper) |
Another key task is to inspect the installation and operation of VMS on the entire provincial fishing fleet. Relevant units must allocate sufficient resources to comprehensively implement electronic catch documentation (eCDT) at all fishing ports and landing points; guide vessel owners and captains to declare port entry and exit on VNeID and record electronic fishing logs (e-logbook).
Fishing vessel management records for port entry and exit, traceability of harvested marine resources, and administrative violation handling are required to be fully organized and stored, ensuring data alignment between authorities and specialized databases. Data must be promptly updated on systems such as VNFishbase, eCDT, and the administrative violation handling database in the fisheries sector, ensuring information is "accurate, complete, clean, and live" and interconnected.
In maritime coordination, the Nghe An Provincial Border Guard Command is tasked with decisively handling cases of fishing vessels losing VMS connection or crossing the allowed fishing boundary; resolutely preventing provincial fishing vessels from violating foreign waters. Coastal border guard stations maintain strict patrols and controls, absolutely prohibiting "three no" fishing vessels (unregistered, uninspected, and unlicensed), deregistered or unqualified vessels from operating at sea.
The Border Guard also coordinates with the Department of Agriculture and Environment and local authorities to thoroughly address discrepancies in fishing vessel entry and exit data between the Border Guard and the Fishing Port Management Board.
The Nghe An Provincial Police are tasked with leading the review and updating of fishermen's data on the VNeID system, serving fishing vessel management; promptly verifying cases of missing fishermen, those not returning from sea trips, or at risk of IUU violations. Additionally, the police force strengthens temporary residence and absence management in coastal localities; proactively detecting and handling illegal fishing vessel sales, unqualified vessels, or deregistered vessels that still exist.
The Nghe An Provincial People's Committee also assigns specific tasks to relevant departments, sectors, Customs Area XI, and coastal commune and ward authorities to closely coordinate and promptly complete assigned tasks, contributing to the country's efforts to lift the European Commission's (EC) IUU "yellow card".
