Fishing boats in Gia Thuan Commune, Dong Thap Province, return to Vam Lang Fishing Port after an offshore fishing trip. Photo: VNA 

The province currently manages 1,477 registered and licensed fishing vessels, with all eligible boats equipped with voyage monitoring systems (VMS). About 60% of the fleet consists of large-capacity vessels operating in offshore fishing grounds including Con Dao, Truong Sa and the DK1 platform area.

To strengthen oversight of fishing activities, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment has worked with relevant agencies to inspect and handle vessels losing VMS connections at sea.

Dong Thap has also reactivated specialised teams under the Sub-Department of Fisheries to monitor fishing vessels and inspect compliance with anti-IUU fishing regulations, while establishing a dedicated task force to supervise the installation and sealing of VMS and VX-1700 communication systems.

All 902 vessels with VMS installation have been put into operation, reaching full compliance. The remaining 30 vessels not yet equipped with the VMS system have been identified and placed under close supervision at designated anchorage points.

In Gia Thuan commune, which has the province’s largest fishing fleet with 422 offshore and 141 nearshore vessels, authorities have maintained regular inspections of boats entering and leaving ports to improve fisheries management and enforce anti-IUU fishing regulations.

Ha Tran Phuong Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of the Gia Thuan communal People’s Committee, said local authorities, border guards, fishing port managers and police maintain daily coordination through a shared Zalo group to monitor vessel movements and promptly detect boats operating without sufficient conditions or showing signs of violations.

The commune has also publicly posted a list of 90 vessels deemed ineligible for operation at local administrative offices and residential areas, while hamlet leaders have been assigned to monitor anchorage locations and require vessel owners to commit to complying with anti-IUU fishing regulations.

Gia Thuan currently has no vessels classified as high-risk for IUU fishing violations, VMS disconnections of over six months, illegal maritime boundary crossings or incursions into foreign waters.

To further strengthen anti-IUU fishing enforcement, Nguyen Phuoc Thien, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the provincial steering committee for IUU fishing prevention and control, has directed local authorities to resolve cases involving unqualified fishing vessels, coordinate with banks to process seized assets, clean up vessel databases and review all VMS-equipped boats, particularly those measuring 12-15m.

The province is also considering support policies to ensure all eligible vessels install VMS and maintain connections in line with regulations. Relevant agencies have been tasked with accelerating the use of technology in fisheries management, including integrated data systems linking fishing ports, border guards and police to better supervise vessel movements.

At the same time, Dong Thap is promoting digital transformation in fisheries management through remote monitoring technologies, satellite data and automated warning systems aimed at replacing manual supervision methods.

Local authorities have also been instructed to tighten control of “three-no” vessels, deregistered boats and unqualified fishing vessels, while closely monitoring vessel owners, anchorage locations and operational conditions.

The province is concurrently implementing policies to support career transitions and vessel decommissioning for fishermen no longer engaged in offshore fishing under Resolution No. 47/2025, alongside financial assistance programmes helping vessel owners upgrade and maintain VMS connections under Resolution No. 48/2025./.