A Dong Thap border guard officer checks VMS device aboard a fishing a vessel. Photo: VNA  

Thanks to well-coordinated and effective measures against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the southern province of Dong Thap has reported zero cases of fishing vessels violating these regulations.

In recent years, the provincial People’s Committee has directed relevant departments, agencies and localities with fishing fleets to strengthen management and strictly monitor fishing vessel operations at sea as part of efforts to prevent and combat IUU fishing.

The Department of Agriculture and Environment has been tasked with reviewing and cross-checking data on vessels entering and leaving ports, as well as departures and arrivals recorded at border guard stations across the province. Fishing vessels departing through border guard posts must obtain port clearance certification from fishing ports. In contrast, ships returning are required to dock at ports, with notifications sent to port authorities, communal police, and grassroots administrations to ensure effective supervision.

To date, all 902 eligible fishing vessels in Dong Thap have been equipped with vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and put into operation. The remaining 30 vessels without VMS have been clearly identified, with their mooring locations recorded for close monitoring.

Gia Thuan commune, a major fishing ground in eastern Dong Thap province, has 704 offshore fishing vessels with an average annual catch exceeding 10,000 tonnes. Vice Chairwoman of the communal People’s Committee Ha Tram Phuong Thuy said it has worked closely with relevant agencies and border guard units to strengthen oversight of vessels operating at sea. All vessels are required to fully comply with regulations on VMS installation and operations in line with Viet Nam’s Law on Fisheries. Since 2022, no ships from the commune have been spotted in foreign waters.

Senior Lieutenant Pham Trung Hieu, head of the Vam Lang Border Guard Station under the provincial Border Guard Command, said the station has strictly maintained verification procedures to ensure vessel owners possess all required documentation before departure. It has also coordinated with the Vam Lang Fishing Port Management Board and the provincial Sub-Department of Livestock Production, Animal Health and Fisheries to strengthen monitoring, inspection and control of vessel movements through database updates and management software.

At the same time, joint efforts have been made with local authorities to raise fishermen’s awareness of legal compliance, with particular emphasis on the 14 groups of IUU-related violations stipulated in Article 60 of the Law on Fisheries.

Nguyen Van Mui, a fisherman from Gia Thuan commune and a member of a local offshore fishing cooperative, said all crew members strictly comply with fishing regulations. Vessels are required to activate their VMS before departure, and any temporary signal loss must be reported immediately to ensure uninterrupted connectivity during voyages.

Regarding logistics and support vessels, the provincial People’s Committee has instructed the Department of Agriculture and Environment to closely inspect operations, trace the origin of seafood unloaded at ports, and verify information by cross-checking VMS data with transshipment logs. The province has also implemented the electronic catch documentation and traceability (eCDT) system, ensuring transparency and legality for seafood exports. All vessel movements and receipt issuance have been processed through the system, with 6,658 vessel movements recorded to date.

According to Tran Thi Be Bay, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, Dong Thap will continue strengthening vessel registration, inspection, licensing, data updates and strict monitoring of seafood traceability, while firmly handling violations and barring non-compliant vessels from fishing operations./.