Distributing anti-IUU fishing materials to fishermen. (Photo: VNA)  

The People’s Committee of Dong Thap has issued an official dispatch to departments, sectors, and localities with fishing vessels to concentrate all resources on implementing the province’s peak month against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Accordingly, the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee requested heads of relevant agencies and local authorities to maintain strict, determined, and comprehensive action to curb IUU violations, mobilising maximum time and resources to implement priority and urgent tasks.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, the standing agency of the provincial Steering Committee for IUU fishing prevention and control, was tasked with completing the registration, inspection, licensing, or renewal procedures for all eligible fishing vessels. It will also verify and update detailed data for each vessel, including the owner’s information, identification number, address, and contact details, in the national fisheries database (VNFishbase) and integrate it with the national population database (VNeID) and the vessel monitoring system (VMS) by October 30, 2025.

The Department of Agriculture and Environment must ensure all registered fishing vessels are properly numbered and marked by the end of October 2025. It will also propose policies to support occupational transition for fishermen of inactive vessels and assist fishermen in upgrading or replacing vessel monitoring equipment to maintain continuous operation, with proposals to be submitted to the provincial People’s Committee by late October 2025.

All fishing vessels 15 metres or longer must record their arrivals and departures via the eCDT system and use the electronic fishing logbook as guided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, with completion required by November 15, 2025. Enterprises, processing facilities, and port authorities are also required to monitor unloading volumes and ensure traceability records on the eCDT system.

The provincial Military Command will strictly control fishing activities, preventing unqualified vessels from operating and stopping illegal fishing in foreign waters. It will also investigate and handle violations related to vessel monitoring, boundary crossing, and unauthorised operations at sea, with completion due by late October 2025.

As of now, Dong Thap has completed the registration of all 1,522 fishing vessels, with 100% of active vessels registered, inspected, licensed, equipped with VMS devices, and maintaining continuous signal transmission.

Of the 933 vessels required to install monitoring equipment, 898 have done so, while the remaining 35 are inactive. The Department of Agriculture and Environment has compiled a list of inactive vessels and, together with the provincial Border Guard Command and local authorities, continues to monitor and verify their anchoring positions to ensure strict supervision./.