Nghe An takes drastic measures to combat IUU fishing

On the afternoon of April 22, a working delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment led by Mr. Phung Duc Tien - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU fishing worked with Nghe An province on the fight against IUU fishing in Nghe An province.

Receiving and working with the delegation were comrades: Hoang Nghia Hieu - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Phung Thanh Vinh - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Hoang Quoc Viet - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, and representatives of relevant departments and branches.

Overview of the meeting. Photo: Phu Huong

Many remarkable results

Nghe An currently has more than 3,000 fishing boats, of which more than 2,720 are fishing boats over 6m long. The authorities have counted and reviewed the group of "3 no" fishing boats, completing the registration of 614/614 "3 no" fishing boats, reaching a rate of 100%.

As of April 21, the province had 2,723 registered fishing vessels, reaching 100% and fully updated to the Vnfishbase database system. Through inspection, 100% of fishing vessels eligible for operation were marked and registered according to regulations.

The total number of fishing vessels with valid registration on the VNFishbase system is 1,363/1,451 vessels (94%) and reaches 100% of the number of vessels in operation; The total number of licensed fishing vessels with valid licenses is 2,534/2,723 vessels, reaching 93.06% and reaching 100% of the number of vessels in operation; 991/1,046 fishing vessels have been granted valid Food Safety Certificates, reaching 94.74% of the total number of fishing vessels required to be granted and reaching 100% of the number of vessels in operation; 1,040/1,046 vessels have installed VMS equipment, reaching 99.43%.

Provincial leaders work with the delegation. Photo: Phu Huong

For fishing vessels that are not qualified for exploitation, the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance sends a list to the People's Committees of districts, communes, and coastal border stations every week to notify and publicly post in the community for people to monitor. Regularly and closely monitor the anchoring positions of fishing vessels; for fishing vessels that have not installed VMS, take pictures every week and send the anchoring positions to the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance for monitoring and management. Fishing vessels that are not qualified are resolutely not allowed to leave the channel for exploitation. In the first quarter of 2025, the number of fishing vessels monitored was 6,229; the monitored aquatic product output was 22,331 tons, reaching nearly 50% of the total output of the province.

Law enforcement and handling of IUU fishing violations have been strengthened and resolute, especially in handling violations related to VMS. Since the beginning of the year, Nghe An province has handled 40 cases/40 subjects, with fines totaling more than VND890 million.

Nghe An fishermen repaint the cabin of their fishing boat according to regulations. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Efforts, determination of solutions

Despite many remarkable achievements, the fight against IUU fishing still has some limitations. Inspection, issuance of fishing licenses, food safety, and installation of voyage monitoring have not been completed 100%. The situation of fishing vessels losing connection to VMS at sea still occurs, and the handling of violations caused by disconnection by authorities is still slow...

To effectively carry out the task of combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the coming time, Nghe An province has proposed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment: Pay attention to investing in projects to upgrade and build infrastructure for fishing ports, fishing wharves, anchorage areas, storm shelters, and key projects. Direct and request VMS service providers to respond promptly when requested for verification by competent authorities so that competent authorities have a basis for handling. Direct inspection facilities to report the results of inspected fishing vessels to localities and fully update them on VnFishbase software to serve the work of effective monitoring and management.

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Hoang Nghia Hieu affirmed that Nghe An will continue to take resolute measures to combat IUU fishing in the area. Photo: Phu Huong

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Hoang Nghia Hieu affirmed: The province will focus resources to build fishing infrastructure to meet practical requirements. At the same time, it will step up propaganda to raise awareness and compliance with regulations on this issue.

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Nghe An will continue to take serious measures in the fight against IUU fishing, resolute in all stages such as fleet management, voyage monitoring equipment and handling of violations.

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Hoang Nghia Hieu

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien speaks at the meeting. Photo: Phu Huong

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien requested Nghe An province to continue to direct and resolutely implement solutions to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the province. Focus on monitoring, reviewing and supervising the activities of all fishing vessels in the province, especially vessels of 15m or more, regarding fishing routes, port entry and exit history, etc. In particular, strengthen inspection and supervision, and strictly handle violations.

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Source: https://baonghean.vn/nghe-an-quyet-liet-cac-giai-phap-chong-khai-thac-iuu-10295704.html