Ha Tinh tightens management of fishing vessels, determined to remove IUU "yellow card"

In recent times, with the focused leadership and direction of the Provincial People's Committee, effective coordination between departments, branches, localities and the cooperation of fishermen, fishing vessel management activities in the province have continued to have many positive changes, contributing to the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing). However, besides that, the fishing vessel inspection work has not been completed according to regulations.

Professional staff of the Provincial Department of Fisheries inspect equipment on fishing boats.

According to the report of the provincial Fisheries Department, up to now, the whole province has 293/357 fishing vessels (reaching a rate of 82%) granted certificates of technical safety of fishing vessels (fishing vessel inspection). Localities with many fishing vessels that have not completed inspection include Ky Anh district, Cam Xuyen, Ky Anh town...

Through inspection and control by local authorities and specialized agencies, the main cause of this delay is that fishermen arbitrarily switched to prohibited occupations (trawling, cage fishing, etc.) without a granted fishing license; arbitrarily converted fishing vessels not in accordance with the approved technical design, so the inspection centers could not complete the procedures. Some fishing vessels whose inspections expired at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 are waiting to apply for re-issuance.

Mr. Mai Van Luyen - fishing boat owner in Ky Ninh ward (Ky Anh town) said: "Our boat's inspection expired in March 2025 and was notified by the commune authorities. Currently, we are waiting to contact the inspection center to complete the re-inspection according to regulations."

In addition, fishing activities at sea are becoming increasingly difficult, so some ship owners no longer participate in seafood exploitation but have not yet completed the procedures for deregistration and inspection, causing difficulties for state management.

Article 67 of the 2017 Fisheries Law stipulates that fishing vessels with a length of 12m or more must be inspected, classified and granted a technical safety certificate. According to Article 33 of Decree 38/2024/ND-CP on administrative sanctions for violations in the fisheries sector, acts of not having a technical safety certificate for fishing vessels or having an expired technical safety certificate for fishing vessels during operation will be subject to a fine of VND 10,000,000 to VND 40,000,000, depending on the length of the fishing vessel.

Some fishing boats have incorrect markings, the paint color and lines are blurred.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Nhat - Deputy Head of the Provincial Fisheries Sub-Department said: "Up to now, the rate of fishing vessels completing the inspection has not reached 100%. In this situation, for fishing vessels whose inspection has expired, we are reviewing, coordinating with local authorities to promote propaganda, notification and mobilize ship owners to strictly comply with legal regulations. At the same time, the unit also connects with inspection centers to organize mobile inspection sessions right in the locality to create favorable conditions for fishermen in completing documents and procedures. For fishing vessels that have not completed the inspection, the competent authorities together with local Party committees and authorities will strengthen supervision and management, resolutely not allowing these vessels to participate in illegal fishing activities".

In addition, through the actual inspection of the provincial Fisheries Department and specialized agencies in localities, there are still cases of marking and drawing of license plates of fishing vessels that do not meet the regulations set forth in Article 20 of Circular No. 23/2018/TT-BNNPTNT dated November 15, 2018 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ).

Captain Phan Dang Tuan - Head of Lach Khau Border Control Station, Ky Khang Border Post (Ky Anh district).

Captain Phan Dang Tuan - Head of Lach Khau Border Control Station, Ky Khang Border Guard Station (Ky Anh) said: "The station's control area has more than 280 fishing vessels operating with lengths ranging from 6m to under 24m. Recently, the station has coordinated with the provincial Fisheries Department and the district People's Committee to review and inspect the work of marking fishing vessels and drawing license plates. Thereby, requiring ship owners to strictly comply with regulations to serve the inspection and supervision work at sea effectively."

Along with management work, monitoring, tracking and inspecting fishing vessel activities at sea are also focused on. Since the beginning of 2025, Ha Tinh has controlled and detected 6 cases of fishing vessels losing VMS connection at sea (over 6 hours, not reporting the location of the vessel's activities), functional forces and local authorities have verified and handled 3 cases (due to objective errors, no administrative sanctions), 3 cases are being verified and handled.

According to Mr. Than Quoc Te - Deputy Director of the Management Board of Fishing Ports and Fishing Boat Storm Shelters in Ha Tinh, the unit has arranged personnel to regularly inspect fishing vessels entering and leaving the port in accordance with regulations to ensure that the VMS system operates continuously 24/7, from the time they leave the port to the time they dock. Based on the list of vessels in the province's IUU fishing risk group, the Management Board conducts regular inspections and refuses to issue port departure permits if they do not meet the requirements.

Ha Tinh strengthens propaganda work for fishermen on preventing and combating IUU fishing.

Recently, in order to prepare well for the 5th working session with the European Commission (EC) inspection delegation, contributing to the whole country's removal of the "yellow card", the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province has issued a plan to implement tasks and solutions to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. In particular, many important contents are emphasized for fleet management and monitoring and controlling fishing vessel activities.

The province requires regular updates on fishing vessels at high risk of violating IUU fishing to be sent to competent authorities and specific units and individuals assigned to monitor and manage; ensuring that 100% of fishing vessels with a length of 15m or more operating at sea must maintain connection to the VMS system; Checking information (ship owner, location, operating status...) of each fishing vessel on the VMS system ensures accurate and updated information (to avoid situations where fishing vessels have lost signal for many days at sea but do not know where they are or who is managing them). The work of checking and controlling vessels entering and leaving ports at border posts/stations along the sea route is also required to be strictly implemented, ensuring that 100% of fishing vessels are closely monitored.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/ha-tinh-siet-chat-quan-ly-tau-ca-quyet-tam-go-the-vang-iuu-post287110.html