Supporting fishermen to confidently venture out to sea.

Quang Ngai province has thousands of fishing vessels engaged in various fishing activities, operating in traditional fishing grounds. Over the years, the Quang Ngai Border Guard has consistently supported fishermen in all aspects, ensuring that each vessel and each fisherman serves as a "living landmark," both engaging in production at sea and actively participating in protecting the sovereignty of the nation's seas and islands.

Colonel Tran Tuan Anh presents the national flag to fishermen in Tinh Ky commune, Quang Ngai city. Photo: Truc Ha

Quang Ngai province has a fishing fleet of 4,242 vessels, of which 1,743 regularly fish far offshore for extended periods. In reality, during their work at sea, fishermen face many difficulties and dangers due to natural disasters, storms, vessel damage, engine failure, and illness among the crew, all requiring rescue and assistance.

From 2023 to the present, Quang Ngai province has experienced 70 natural disasters, accidents, incidents, and fires, resulting in 40 fishing vessels sinking, burning, or being damaged, and 37 people dead, missing, or injured, causing hundreds of billions of dong in losses. Therefore, accompanying and providing a solid support for fishermen to confidently continue their work at sea has always been identified by the Party Committee and the Border Guard Command of the province as an important political task. Every officer and soldier is conscious of the responsibility to connect with fishermen because they are the extended arms of the Border Guard in fulfilling the task of protecting the sovereignty of the nation's seas and islands.

Over the years, the Party Committee and Command of the Quang Ngai Border Guard have made efforts to concretize and implement Directive 01/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on organizing the movement of all people participating in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation. Accordingly, the Quang Ngai Border Guard has advised the authorities of districts, towns, and cities in the coastal border area to establish 97 self-governing groups for boats and ships to participate in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security at sea, with 931 vessels/7,547 members; 121 self-governing groups for security and order with 614 members; and 10 security and order groups at ports and wharves with 167 members.

Through implementation, the members have demonstrated a high spirit and sense of responsibility, providing the Border Guard Force and other functional agencies with many valuable sources of information, actively participating in protecting the sovereignty of the country's seas and islands, serving well the immediate and long-term struggle; helping the Border Guard Force, Party committees, and local authorities resolve many complex incidents and issues in the coastal border areas of the province, contributing to the successful implementation of the local economic, cultural, and social development tasks.

However, in the past, Quang Ngai province was consistently on the list of provinces with the highest number of vessels violating fishing regulations in foreign waters and other maritime law violations. This was one of the reasons leading to the European Commission (EC) issuing a "yellow card" warning to Vietnam's fisheries sector. In an effort to lift the "yellow card" warning, the Quang Ngai Border Guard has actively combined propaganda and mobilization with deterrent penalties for violations. In 2023, the provincial Border Guard issued administrative penalties in 58 cases involving 58 individuals, totaling over 10 billion VND.

Entering 2024, the Quang Ngai Border Guard Command has comprehensively implemented various measures, coordinating with local authorities and relevant agencies to organize forces and resources to strictly manage and protect activities in the province's maritime and island border areas, resolutely combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The provincial Border Guard Command has conducted over 70 patrols and inspections of river mouths, estuaries, fishing ports, and sea areas, promptly detecting and correcting fishing vessels showing signs of violating IUU regulations.

The Quang Ngai Border Guard Command also requested its subordinate units to vigorously implement the tasks of managing and protecting the border, sea, and islands according to their assigned functions and duties. They were also instructed to further strengthen the management of fishing vessels, especially those 15 meters or longer; coordinate with coastal local authorities and other functional forces to verify and conclude on cases of lost connection with vessel tracking devices, and strictly handle any violations by vessel owners and fishermen.

In addition, the Quang Ngai Border Guard Command has carried out many practical activities to support fishermen in staying at sea and venturing further offshore. These include proactively mobilizing personnel and resources for search and rescue operations for fishing vessels and fishermen who are injured or ill while working at sea. The Quang Ngai Border Guard Command has also coordinated with the Viettel Military Telecommunications Group to deploy software and equipment for managing and controlling fishing vessels and sending communication messages to fishing vessel owners at 11 border control stations throughout the province, meeting the requirements of combating IUU fishing and lifting the EC's "yellow card" warning.

In late April, the Quang Ngai Border Guard Command, in coordination with sponsors, donated 8 mobile phones, 3,500 national flags, and hotline keychains to fishermen and residents in the coastal border areas under the management of Sa Huynh Border Guard Station (Pho Thach ward, Duc Pho town) and Sa Ky Port Border Guard Station (Tinh Ky commune, Quang Ngai city). These compact keychains are printed with the Border Guard Station's phone number, allowing residents to call 24/7 to report any information related to maritime sovereignty, islands , and security and order in the area. The distribution of hotline keychains demonstrates the Border Guard's proactive approach to the people, thereby fostering awareness and responsibility among citizens and harnessing the strength of public support in protecting national sovereignty and border security.

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