The southern province of An Giang has rolled out a series of coordinated measures to strictly manage and control around 880 fishing vessels that have yet to met licensing conditions, in an effort to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

According to local authorities, these unqualified vessels include those that are inactive, docked ashore, unregistered, or self-modified and thus unable to undergo certification, as well as vehicles without identifiable owners, or lacking vessel monitoring systems (VMS). Others have sunk, are damaged, fail to meet safety standards, are under court orders, bank mortgage, or have been detained overseas. Those transferred without proper ownership procedures are also among unqualified ones.

  Owners of fishing vessels sign commitments against IUU fishing. Photo: VNA  

The majority of such vessels are concentrated in key fishing localities such as Rach Gia, Kien Hai, and Phu Quoc.

In addition, over 640 vessels in the province have been classified as high-risk for IUU violations. Authorities have established a weekly updated monitoring list and are coordinating with relevant agencies and localities to strengthen inspection and prevention efforts.

Le Huu Toan, Director of the An Giang Department of Agriculture and Environment and deputy head of the provincial Steering Committee for Anti-IUU Fishing, said that the province is intensively implementing the Prime Minister’s directive on the peak month against IUU fishing and the sustainable development of Vietnam’s fisheries sector.

Key tasks include raising awareness among fishermen, thoroughly handling vessels that lose VMS connection or cross national maritime boundaries, and stepping up patrols and sanctions against illegal nearshore or deep-sea fishing activities.

As part of nationwide efforts to help Vietnam remove the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning on its seafood exports, An Giang aims to completely eliminate violations of foreign waters, ensuring that all vessels operate legally, are properly licenced, and closely monitored, thereby contributing to the international reputation of the Vietnamese fisheries sector./.