In this context, a significant shift in the awareness and actions of fishermen is a crucial and prerequisite foundation in the process of establishing a sustainable, modern, and responsible marine exploitation industry.
The foundation lies in raising awareness and responsibility.
At Song Doc estuary, one of the largest estuaries in the Mekong Delta region, the dissemination of legal regulations has been carried out effectively in recent times, helping fishermen raise awareness and prevent violations. This is of significant importance in combating IUU fishing and moving towards sustainable marine exploitation.
According to observations at the Song Doc Border Guard Station, direct onboard propaganda, combined with the distribution of leaflets and specific instructions for each vessel owner, captain, and chief engineer, is regularly organized by officers and soldiers. Thanks to these efforts, the number of fishing vessels losing contact or crossing maritime boundaries has decreased significantly year by year, due to a considerable improvement in the fishermen's compliance with regulations.
Fisherman Le Tan Toi ( from Vinh Long province) said that as soon as the boat entered the harbor area, officials came to the boat to disseminate information and explain the regulations against IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing. This dedication helped each fisherman better understand their responsibilities when going out to sea. "I and many other boat owners always remind our crew members to absolutely not cross the boundary or engage in illegal fishing in foreign waters," fisherman Le Tan Toi pledged.
Sharing the same view, fisherman Ngo Viet Huu (Song Doc commune) added that in the past, some fishermen were careless and did not pay enough attention to fishing logs or reporting when entering and leaving ports, but now their awareness has changed significantly. Now, we not only fully comply with all procedures every time we go out to sea to fish, but also honestly record our fishing trips, as this is a mandatory condition for seafood products to be exported to major markets.
According to Ma Minh Tam, Secretary of the Party Committee of Song Doc commune, the locality has identified combating IUU fishing as a key task, assigning responsibility to each official and each fishing vessel. This is because complying with regulations is not only about removing the IUU yellow card, but also about protecting aquatic resources and ensuring long-term livelihoods for the fishing community.
"Taking the task of raising awareness among the fishing community as a foundation, the commune has coordinated with border guards and fisheries inspectors to review the list of high-risk vessels in order to promptly remind and monitor them. As a result, fishermen's awareness has changed significantly, and the number of violations has decreased sharply," Mr. Ma Minh Tam emphasized.
Not only at the Song Doc estuary, but also at most estuaries, thanks to the close coordination between border guards, local authorities, and fishing unions, the awareness of fishermen regarding combating IUU fishing has significantly improved.
Fisherman Tran Van Den (residing in Ganh Hao commune) expressed: "Thanks to the regular awareness campaigns by the Border Guard, we understand the regulations against IUU fishing better. Now, all fishermen agree and support these measures, as it is a shared responsibility, contributing to maintaining the reputation of Vietnamese seafood and protecting marine resources in the long term."
When fishermen's awareness is raised, every fishing trip adheres to regulations, not only accelerating the process of removing the IUU yellow card but, more importantly, better protecting marine resources and creating a foundation for the sustainable development of the fishing industry.
Persistence towards the goal of sustainable fisheries development.
In recent times, Ca Mau province has achieved many positive results in combating IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing. Management and control of fishing vessels, monitoring of voyages, and handling of violations have been strengthened, contributing to effective deterrence; the dissemination of laws and regulations has been intensified, raising fishermen's awareness of the consequences of IUU fishing and related legal provisions.
Lieutenant Nguyen Truong Minh, Deputy Head of the Public Relations Team at Hon Khoai Border Guard Station, said that due to the unique conditions on the island, there are no permanent residents, only a few fishing boats from fishermen inside and outside the province that anchor there to take shelter from seasonal storms.
"Nevertheless, the unit always considers the top priority task of organizing propaganda to encourage fishermen to participate in protecting sovereignty , protecting environmental resources, installing vessel tracking devices, and refraining from fishing in foreign waters," Lieutenant Nguyen Truong Minh emphasized; he also reported that in 2025, the unit conducted patrols and controlled the prevention of IUU fishing with 51 teams/179 officers and soldiers participating. In addition, the unit distributed nearly 500 leaflets and brochures; and encouraged ship owners and captains to sign commitments to strictly comply with regulations on combating IUU fishing…
According to To Hoai Phuong, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ca Mau province, identifying the fight against IUU fishing is a crucial task, both to protect aquatic resources and to maintain the locality's reputation in export markets.
“In fulfilling its role, the industry not only requires units to coordinate closely in propaganda work and control fishing vessels to strictly comply with regulations on entering and leaving ports… but also to work with maritime law enforcement forces and local authorities to strengthen coordination, deployment, review, management, monitoring, inspection and close supervision of fishing vessels operating in coastal, offshore and open sea areas,” Mr. To Hoai Phuong emphasized.
Despite achieving many positive results, Ca Mau still faces difficulties in handling violations, as well as slow updates in managing the sale and transfer of ownership of fishing vessels. Regarding this issue, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee Le Van Su informed that Ca Mau province has a large fishing fleet in the Mekong Delta region, second only to An Giang province.
"Given the characteristics of the sea area bordering many countries in the region, coupled with the very spontaneous development of the fishing industry, management over the years has undeniably been lax. Because of these factors, the situation regarding IUU violations in general, and violations in foreign waters in particular, has been quite complex in recent times," Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Van Su frankly acknowledged.
According to Lê Văn Sử, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cà Mau province, recognizing these disadvantages, the locality has proactively implemented solutions to combat IUU fishing, even adopting measures and policies that are ahead of the rest of the country. Examples include researching and installing vessel tracking devices, and applying software for control and management. These measures have not only been recognized and highly appreciated by the central government but are also being studied for nationwide application.
In addition to measures for managing and regulating fishing vessels, Ca Mau province has also proactively developed programs, plans, and projects to reorganize its fishing fleet in accordance with the general policy of the Government. However, in reality, despite numerous plans and projects from the central government aimed at sustainable and environmentally friendly reorganization, investment resources for this issue are limited, if not non-existent.
To address this issue, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee Le Van Su affirmed that, of the 19 tasks assigned by the Central Government to localities, including Ca Mau, most have been completed, except for the task of issuing a resolution of the Provincial People's Council on occupational transformation, which is a difficult issue requiring further effort. Nevertheless, with its efforts, Ca Mau has still implemented pilot models for occupational transformation and established marine protected areas, with very positive results to date. This provides a basis and conditions for us to continue to perform this work even better in the future.
With the goal of joining hands with the whole country to quickly remove the EC's yellow card and move towards sustainable development of the seafood industry, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee Le Van Su informed that Ca Mau will focus on implementing two tasks, both in the short and long term. In the short term, this December, the locality must work with the whole country to remove the EC's yellow card. In the long term, the focus will be on developing a plan for occupational transformation, proposing to the competent authorities, specifically the Party Committee and the Provincial People's Council, to issue relevant mechanisms and policies.
Immediately after the online meeting with the Government on the afternoon of December 9th, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Ca Mau province, Lu Quang Ngoi, directed the provincial departments, agencies, and localities to thoroughly review the reported data, and to closely monitor the situation at the grassroots level, especially regarding the management of ship movements in and out of ports, the issuance of fishing vessel registration licenses, and the local workforce. He emphasized the need to focus on accelerating the process of issuing policies to support fishermen, while simultaneously strengthening public awareness campaigns and decisively addressing violations to prevent prolonged delays.
"We must identify combating IUU fishing as one of the priority tasks to be implemented in this period, mobilizing the entire political system, functional forces, and the people to participate, determined to end IUU fishing as soon as possible," emphasized Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Lu Quang Ngoi.
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/khac-phuc-the-vangiuungu-dan-chuyen-bien-manh-ve-nhan-thuc-va-hanh-dong-20251211065122873.htm
Comment (0)