Lam Dong tightens management of fishing vessels.

On the afternoon of January 27th, the Steering Committee for Combating IUU Fishing in Lam Dong province held a meeting to implement solutions to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The scene at the meeting.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Chien, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lam Dong province, in implementing the directives of the Government and the National Steering Committee on combating IUU fishing, Lam Dong province has focused on implementing many comprehensive solutions to strengthen the management of the fishing fleet, control fishing activities, and tighten law enforcement, contributing to the nationwide effort to lift the "yellow card" warning from the European Commission (EC).

According to the Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, the period before, during, and after the Lunar New Year, when Vietnamese waters are rough, is also when fishing vessels venture far out to sea and are more likely to violate foreign waters. This is illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, an act that the EC strongly advises against and is a prerequisite for lifting the "yellow card" on Vietnamese fisheries.

To achieve this, the Department of Agriculture and Environment is strengthening coordination with relevant agencies and localities to continue enhancing the monitoring and strict management of fishing vessels, especially high-risk groups; resolutely preventing fishing vessels from violating foreign waters. Along with solutions to guide and support people in completing registration, inspection, and fishing license procedures, relevant sectors and localities are stepping up efforts to address the issue of fishing vessels losing connection with their Vessel Monitoring System (VMS).

According to the Steering Committee for Combating IUU Fishing in Lam Dong Province, the management of the fishing fleet has been strengthened, focusing on reviewing and strictly controlling fishing vessels that meet the operating requirements. As of January 23rd, the province had 8,208 registered fishing vessels; of which, 7,189 had been granted fishing licenses (reaching 87.58%). Simultaneously, the province has focused on handling cases of fishing vessels that do not meet operating requirements, vessels with expired licenses, and vessels whose registrations have been revoked. Local authorities are required to closely monitor mooring locations and resolutely prevent unqualified fishing vessels from continuing to participate in fishing activities. The police, border guards, and fisheries management agencies are coordinating to verify cases of illegal buying, selling, and transferring of fishing vessels, gradually clarifying the situation of "phantom vessels," vessels with unclear owners, and those lacking legal eligibility.

From the beginning of 2026 until now, border guard posts, fishing ports, and fisheries control offices at ports have maintained the monitoring of fishing vessels entering and leaving ports. The entire province recorded over 3,600 vessel entries and exits through border guard control stations and over 3,000 vessel entries and exits at ports. The volume of seafood unloaded at ports reached over 1,300 tons.

One of the key solutions that Lam Dong province has been aggressively implementing is monitoring fishing vessels using VMS (Vehicle Monitoring System) equipment. Notably, from the beginning of 2026 to the present, no fishing vessels from the province have been recorded violating VMS connection regulations at sea.

In the long term, Lam Dong province is implementing projects and policies to restructure the fisheries sector towards sustainability; notably, the project on occupational transformation associated with restructuring the fishing fleet and applying digital technology by 2030; and the sustainable development plan for the fisheries sector for the period 2026-2030, with a vision to 2045. Policies supporting the decommissioning of fishing vessels, occupational transformation, and upgrading of vessel tracking equipment are also being finalized for submission to competent authorities for consideration.

Despite achieving many positive results, the fight against IUU fishing in Lam Dong still faces some limitations, such as a high number of fishing vessels with expired licenses, inadequate fishing port infrastructure, and a lack of coordinated efforts among some localities.

Mr. Le Trong Yen, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, delivered a speech at the meeting.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Trong Yen requested that coastal departments and localities continue to closely follow the directives of the Central Government and the province on combating IUU fishing; mobilize the entire political system, strengthen the responsibility of local authorities, and raise the awareness of fishermen regarding compliance with the law, thereby contributing to the nationwide effort to remove the IUU "yellow card" and develop the fisheries sector in a sustainable direction.

The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested that departments, agencies, and localities continue to focus intensely on the management and control of fishing vessels, identifying this as a key and continuous task in implementing solutions to combat IUU fishing in the province, especially the group of "three-no" fishing vessels. Coastal localities should thoroughly review and accurately ascertain the number, current status, and mooring locations of these fishing vessels, and resolutely prevent them from participating in any form of fisheries exploitation.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/lam-dong-siet-chat-quan-ly-tau-ca-20260127185907400.htm