Tighten management right from the shore
After the merger, An Giang is the province with the largest fishing fleet in the country, with more than 10,000 fishing vessels in operation. The management of fishing fleet is one of the key tasks that the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee pay special attention to, directing departments, branches and localities to actively implement to strictly control the activities of fishing vessels, prevent IUU fishing with the aim of removing the EC's yellow card.
At the Kenh Dai Border Control Station, every day there are about 20 - 30 pairs of offshore fishing vessels completing procedures for entry and exit. Fishing vessels wishing to enter or exit the port must present complete documents such as registration papers, fishing vessel inspection papers, fishing licenses, and crew lists. After the captain presents all the documents, the border guards will board the vehicle to check and compare the documents again, including checking the connection signal of the voyage monitoring device on the fishing vessel is turned on, only then will the vessel be allowed to leave the port.
Lieutenant Colonel Bui Van Ket - Head of Tay Yen Border Guard Station said: "The control work is carried out strictly by the station, in accordance with regulations. The station resolutely does not allow departure of vehicles without complete documents. Thanks to the strict inspection process right on shore, fishermen strictly comply, limiting the situation of IUU fishing".
The province has resolutely overcome limitations in fishing vessel management, including thoroughly handling "3 no" fishing vessels. The Department of Agriculture and Environment has coordinated with localities to conduct a comprehensive review, classify and make a list of all fishing vessels operating in the area. Vessels that do not meet the legal requirements are required to stop operating, and at the same time, encourage ship owners to complete registration and inspection procedures to be officially managed. The Department has strengthened coordination with border guards and police to organize many peak periods of patrolling, controlling and strictly handling "3 no" fishing vessels operating at sea; propagating and guiding fishing vessel owners to complete registration and inspection documents and procedures according to regulations. Thanks to drastic measures, the province now basically has no "3 no" fishing vessels. Currently, the province has 10,034 fishing vessels registered and updating data on the VnFishbase system, of which 73.9% of fishing vessels have valid fishing licenses; 100% of fishing vessels have installed voyage monitoring equipment.
The provincial Fishing Vessel Inspection Center is assigned to monitor the signals of the fishing vessel's journey monitoring equipment. The center closely monitors the activities, continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Through inspection and monitoring from the fishing vessel monitoring system, many violations of the journey monitoring equipment have been detected and handled. Since the beginning of 2025, more than 220 vessels have lost connection at sea, and the authorities have administratively fined 14 vessels, with a fine of over 760 million VND.
Officers of the Long Canal Border Control Station check administrative procedures of fishing boats.
Strengthening law enforcement
Along with the propaganda and legaleducation work, the province has strengthened the law enforcement at sea with many synchronous measures, strictly handling IUU fishing cases, creating a deterrent effect in society for organizations and individuals who deliberately violate. The functional forces of the province such as the Fisheries Surveillance, the Provincial Border Guard, the Provincial Police, together with the Central armed forces units stationed in the province such as the Coast Guard Region 4 Command, the Naval Region 5 Command, the Border Guard Squadron 28, and the Fisheries Surveillance Sub-Department of Region 5 regularly organize peak patrols and controls in the sea areas, especially the border areas with neighboring countries, the overlapping areas that have not been demarcated between Vietnam and countries in the region. Illegal acts such as illegal fishing in foreign waters; removing and turning off the journey monitoring equipment, and not having a fishing license are all strictly handled by the functional forces according to regulations.
According to statistics from the Provincial Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance, from 2023 to April 2025, the central and provincial authorities detected and handled 1,275 cases related to IUU fishing vessels. Many cases were transferred to the Provincial Police Investigation Agency for investigation and handling in accordance with the law. The Provincial Police prosecuted 25 cases related to the crimes of organizing illegal emigration; illegal manufacture and use of explosives; illegal manufacture and storage of explosives; obstructing or disrupting the operation of computer networks and telecommunications networks according to regulations...
Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment Le Huu Toan said that the province has made many efforts in managing fishing vessels, however, the situation of IUU fishing vessels still occurs, greatly affecting the removal of the EC yellow card. To prepare well for the 5th EC inspection delegation, the province will focus on strengthening supervision and monitoring of fishing vessels at high risk of illegal fishing in foreign waters; coordinate with communes, wards, and special zones to firmly grasp the area, actively propagate and mobilize ship owners not to send ships and people abroad for illegal fishing. At the same time, continue to implement the plan to coordinate in launching peak periods of patrolling, inspecting, and controlling with functional forces inside and outside the province to prevent IUU fishing activities.
Article and photos: THUY TRANG
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/khong-khoan-nhuong-voi-khai-thac-iuu-a424424.html
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