For the future, long-term benefits of fishermen

(PLVN) - It is expected that at the end of November 2025, the European Commission (EC) delegation will visit Vietnam to work on the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, considering removing the "yellow card" for Vietnamese seafood. After many years of the entire political system resolutely fighting against IUU fishing, the final results are expected to be achieved.

At the 21st meeting of the National Steering Committee on Combating IUU Fishing held recently, reports said that the management of fishing vessels and monitoring of fishing activities continued to make remarkable progress, basically completing the registration and updating on the national fisheries database, reaching 99.9%, out of a total of nearly 80 thousand fishing vessels. The number of fishing vessels not qualified to operate continued to decrease, localities have completed the classification and made a list to hand over to local authorities and functional forces to monitor, manage, and ensure that they do not participate in fishing activities.

A noteworthy factor is that the situation of handling violations of the law in combating IUU fishing continues to have positive changes. 8/22 localities have completed handling the remaining administrative violations of losing connection with the journey monitoring device (VMS), exceeding the permitted fishing boundary. The police have initiated 2 new cases, 2 defendants; bringing the total number of prosecutions from October 1 to November 7, 2025 to 23 cases/31 defendants. Thus, from 2024 to November 7, 2025, the prosecution agency has initiated 88 cases, 132 defendants; brought to trial 44 cases, 90 defendants for violations in the field of combating IUU fishing.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh once again reiterated that combating IUU fishing is for the honor, prestige and interests of the country and people, so it must be resolute, both educating and managing, and taking care of fishermen to have jobs and long-term livelihoods. Ministries, branches, agencies and localities must coordinate closely, focus on leading and directing the resolute implementation of the peak month against IUU fishing; immediately end the situation of "fishing at all costs"; build "responsible fishing", with traceability; for the sustainable development of Vietnam's fisheries industry, for the honor of the country, the people and the interests of the people.

The Prime Minister emphasized the view that when working with the EC Delegation, it is necessary to follow the spirit that change is not only demonstrated by numbers or reports; but must lie in specific results and substantive changes in reality.

The actions of the authorities in recent times have demonstrated the resolute stance of declaring war on violations of regulations on combating IUU fishing, determined to remove the EC's "yellow card" on Vietnam's fisheries by 2025. Along with the comprehensive digitalization of fishing vessel management; completing and putting into use the application for managing fishing vessels and fishermen participating in activities on VNeID; resolutely investigating and criminally handling fishing vessels that violate regulations according to Resolution 04/2024/NQ-HDTP... we have affirmed that combating IUU fishing is carried out not in a formal way but in substance; not only to remove the EC's "yellow card", but also for the future and long-term interests of all fishermen and the Vietnamese fisheries industry.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/vi-tuong-lai-loi-ich-lau-dai-cua-ngu-dan.html