Fishing boats anchored on the Cai Be River. Photo: PHAM HIEU
The Provincial People's Committee has identified combating IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing as an urgent and important task, requiring the entire political system to participate, coordinate closely, and act decisively and synchronously. The plan is based on the directives of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha in Notice No. 159/TB-VPCP, dated March 31, 2026; Decision No. 1186/QD-BNNMT, dated April 6, 2026, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ; and Directive No. 11/CT-UBND, dated April 10, 2026, of the Chairman of the An Giang Provincial People's Committee.
From now until September 2026, the province will focus on four major task groups: managing, monitoring, and controlling the fishing fleet; tracing the origin of harvested seafood; enforcing laws and handling violations; and disseminating information and allocating resources. Specifically, the requirements include completing the registration, inspection, issuance, or renewal of fishing licenses, verifying complete information for each fishing vessel, and accurately updating it into the national fisheries database (VNFishbase), synchronizing it with the fishing vessel monitoring system and the national population database (VNeID). The province also requires that 100% of registered fishing vessels have their license plates and markings clearly indicated according to regulations.
One area that will be strictly controlled is the management of fishing vessels that meet and do not meet the operating requirements. The province will review and supplement the plan for managing concentrated mooring areas to accommodate fishing vessels that do not meet the operating requirements, and at the same time, develop regulations for managing concentrated mooring areas in the province. Fisheries inspectors are required to be present regularly in coastal and offshore areas to deter, prevent, and handle fishing vessels that do not meet the requirements and force them to return to shore. Control of fishing vessels at river mouths, canals, and coastal areas will also be strengthened daily.
For offshore fishing fleets, An Giang requires 24/7 monitoring of fishing vessels with a maximum length of 15 meters or more using a vessel tracking system. Authorities must strictly control vessel entry and exit from ports, as well as docking and departure; vessels that do not meet the requirements will not be allowed to leave. The province also requires increased patrols and control in offshore areas and border regions with other countries, and prohibits fishing vessels with a maximum length of less than 15 meters from operating in offshore waters.
In terms of traceability, An Giang continues to tighten electronic procedures. The fishing ports of Tac Cau, An Thoi, Ganh Dau, and Tho Chau must ensure that 100% of fishing vessels entering and leaving the ports are processed through the Electronic Seafood Traceability System (eCDT), as mandated from March 1, 2026. The province requires that 100% of seafood unloading receipts, certificates of raw materials for harvested seafood, and certificates of origin for harvested seafood issued to businesses must be processed through the eCDT system fully, promptly, and in accordance with regulations.
In addition, the province is implementing a roadmap for electronic logbooks in fisheries exploitation. According to the plan, electronic fishing logbooks and electronic seafood procurement and transshipment logbooks will be applied from July 1, 2026, for fishing vessels with a length of 24 meters or more; from September 1, 2026, for vessels from 15 meters to under 24 meters; and from January 1, 2027, for vessels from 12 meters to under 15 meters. This is considered an important step to transparently manage the fishing chain and enhance the reliability of traceability.
Regarding law enforcement, the province urgently requested the investigation and decisive handling of serious violations related to encroachment on foreign waters, where crew members have been identified as having been detained and returned by foreign countries, or detected and processed by domestic forces from 2024 to the present. Other violations, such as loss of connection with vessel tracking systems (VMS), exceeding fishing boundaries, fishing in prohibited areas, and operating without sufficient permits, must be expedited. Simultaneously, the province must fully update penalty decisions into the National Database on Administrative Sanctions in the Fisheries Sector and cross-check and standardize violation data between the province and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
The plan also clearly assigns responsibilities for each task. The Department of Agriculture and Environment plays an advisory, supervisory, inspection, and reporting role. The Provincial Border Guard and other functional forces are responsible for controlling entry and exit points, patrolling, and handling violations. The Department of Culture and Sports is in charge of propaganda work, while the Department of Internal Affairs advises on the deployment and capacity building of officials to combat IUU fishing. Agencies, units, and localities are required to submit periodic reports to the Department of Agriculture and Environment before the 25th of each month for monitoring and compilation.
In the long term, by 2030, An Giang will investigate and assess the reserves of aquatic resources, determine the total sustainable exploitation output and appropriate fishing structure to advise on the announcement of fishing license quotas in coastal and offshore areas. According to the plan, this must be completed before July 2028. The province will also review and advise on the issuance of an action plan to implement priority tasks, solutions, and projects related to the development, protection, and exploitation of aquatic resources until 2030.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/siet-quan-ly-tau-ca-chan-vi-pham-iuu-a483465.html
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