Peak of patrolling, controlling and handling IUU violations

Quang Ninh province currently has 6,190 fishing vessels, of which fishing vessels under 12m in length account for 87.9% of the total number of fishing vessels in the province. Therefore, the exploitation of aquatic resources from fishing vessels under 12m in coastal areas is still very large, and the authorities have discovered many cases of fishing vessels using prohibited fishing techniques to exploit aquatic resources. Therefore, the province has focused on directing resolutely and closely to effectively combat IUU fishing, including resolutely ending the situation of fishing vessels violating the law.

Implement solutions to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing associated with the management of exploitation, protection and development of aquatic resources in Quang Ninh province.   In the waters of Ha Long City, on May 21, 2025, the Inspection Team of the Department of Sea, Islands and Fisheries, Quang Ninh Fisheries Control in coordination with the Waterway Police Team, Traffic Police Department, Provincial Police discovered and temporarily detained the QN-0107.TS ship operated by Mr. Vu Van Son in Phong Hai Ward, Quang Yen Town, storing prohibited fishing gear, which is an iron frame for raking clams. Previously, during an inspection in Cam Pha City, the inspection team also consecutively discovered and temporarily detained 6 fishing boats of Quang Yen Town for storing and using prohibited fishing gear for raking clams in the Hon Net area. This is a type of fishing gear with destructive exploitation properties that affects the seabed and living organisms and has been prohibited in coastal and inshore fisheries.

Fisheries surveillance force and water police discovered and handled fishing boats using iron frame rakes to exploit clams in Ha Long Bay.

From mid-April until now, the weather has gradually turned to summer, coastal aquatic species such as small shrimp and fish, mollusks and crustaceans have begun to grow and develop strongly. This is the time when fishermen focus on exploiting coastal resources using many prohibited occupations such as mollusk raking with iron cages, te xiep, trawling and fishing with light... with higher frequency. Especially in the two fishing grounds of Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long, the number of fishing vessels operating to exploit clams and snails is currently very large, up to hundreds of vessels, so there are many potential risks of unsafe waterway traffic and recurrence of IUU violations.

According to the statistics, during April and May, the number of violations in marine fishing detected and handled by the provincial authorities increased both in number of cases and in the amount of fines collected. Meanwhile, the number of violations and handling in the first 3 months of 2025 was only 40 cases, with fines collected of 286.5 million VND (30 cases related to documents, vehicles, certificates; 10 cases related to the fishing profession).

The case of a fishing boat using electric fishing gear to exploit aquatic products has just been discovered and handed over by the Bay Management Board to the Border Guard Station at Hon Gai Port.

To continue to strictly handle the cases of repeated use of prohibited fishing gears to exploit aquatic resources in the province's waters, especially in coastal waters, local authorities have launched a high-point campaign, coordinated patrols, control and handled violations in aquatic resource exploitation activities in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay to propagate andeducate people on compliance with aquatic resource laws in aquatic resource exploitation activities. At the same time, coordination between forces has been strengthened to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of state management of exploitation, conservation and development of aquatic resources.

Provincial authorities launched a high-profile campaign to coordinate patrols, control and handle violations in fishing activities in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay.

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van Binh, Border Guard Station of Hon Gai Port, Provincial Border Guard, said: The subjects often take advantage of the dark weather or the break time of the functional forces to conduct fishing in the prohibited area. Accordingly, based on information about the situation of the subjects, the border guard force has arranged the number of personnel on duty during this time to promptly prevent and handle cases of fishermen violating activities in the Ha Long Bay area.

The peak period of coordinated patrolling, control and handling of violations in fishing activities in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay was conducted from May 26 to June 15, 2025 with 20 trips, including joint patrols and inspections and 16 separate inspections by coastal forces and localities. On the first day of the campaign, the provincial authorities patrolled and arrested 5 fishing boats of fishermen who were exploiting clams in the prohibited fishing area in Ha Long Bay and using prohibited fishing gear such as rakes and electric shocks.

Mr. Do Dinh Minh, Head of the Department of Sea, Islands and Fisheries, Quang Ninh Province Fisheries Surveillance, said: With the determination of the province and the active participation of sectors and localities in the inspection, control and prevention of IUU fishing violations since the beginning of the year, the functional forces of the province have organized many patrols at sea, in which, the provincial fisheries surveillance force alone had 21 patrols, inspected 1,000 fishing vessels and detected 252 violations, administratively sanctioned more than 2 billion VND.

6 fishing boats of Quang Yen town were temporarily detained and processed by the authorities for storing and using prohibited fishing gear to rake clams in the Hon Net area on May 20, 2025.

Carrying out the inspection and control of IUU, in March and May 2025, which are the two peak months, we found that there are still many fishing vessels violating, recurring with more sophisticated forms and tending to increase. Therefore, we have advised the Department of Construction to plan to organize inter-sectoral campaigns to simultaneously launch propaganda and continue to strictly handle fishing vessels violating regulations in exploitation, anchoring in the wrong place; vessels without waste collection equipment. Inspect fishing vessels from other provinces that do not have the conditions to anchor in the sea areas of Quang Ninh, especially Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay.

Hai Ha

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/cao-diem-tuan-tra-kiem-soat-xu-ly-vi-pham-iuu-3361252.html