The central province of Gia Lai has been intensifying communications to raise public awareness of the prevention of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, particularly following the Government's issuance of Decree No. 301/2025/ND-CP that amends and supplements a 2024 decree on administrative penalties in the fisheries sector.
The provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment reported that after years of implementing coordinated measures, Gia Lai has recorded positive progress in combating IUU fishing.
To date, the province has 5,744 registered fishing vessels, all of which have been updated in the national VNFishbase system. All vessels engaged in fishing activities have been licensed while those failing to meet requirements banned from operating at sea and placed under strict supervision.
Identifying communications as a fundamental and long-term measure to raise fishermen’s awareness and ensure compliance with the law, the Gia Lai management board of fisheries ports has stepped up disseminating the new decree. Particular focus is put on common violations committed by fishermen during offshore operations, helping them better understand legal rules and the serious consequences of illegal fishing.
Nguyen Anh Dung, Deputy Director of the management board, said that since Decree No. 301/2025/ND-CP took effect on November 17, 2025, the board has expanded communications through internal radio broadcasting systems, social media platforms, and direct briefings for vessel owners and captains when they handle port entry and exit procedures.
Key contents include sharply increased penalties, ranging from 500–700 million VND (19,000–26,600 USD) for individuals or up to 1 billion VND for organisations for failing to keep fishing logbooks, and fines of 50–100 million VND for illegally removing, storing or transporting vessel monitoring system (VMS) devices. Additional sanctions and remedial measures related to fishing in the wrong waters and trading in illegally sourced seafood have also been highlighted.
To ensure effective enforcement, the provincial Sub-department of Fisheries has rolled out a comprehensive plan combining communications, inspection, monitorings and direct support for fishermen to rectify violations.
Sub-department head Nguyen Huu Nghia said close coordination has been maintained with coastal authorities to disseminate the new regulations widely and continuously through on-site briefings at fishing ports and anchorages, leaflets, posters, grassroots broadcasting systems, community meetings, conferences and training courses.
In addition, monitoring and inspection have been tightened. The fishing vessel monitoring centre has operated around the clock to promptly detect vessels losing connection or showing abnormal movements, while checks on licences, logbooks, catch reports and port entry and exit procedures have been enhanced.
Authorities have also supported fishermen in restoring VMS signals and completing required documentation to reduce repeat violations, Nghia noted.
Since October 2025, Gia Lai has run an intelligent automatic warning system that issues alerts when vessels cross maritime boundaries or experience prolonged signal loss. Electronic fishing logbooks have also been applied to more than 3,000 vessels of 12 metres or longer, helping enhance transparency, limit violations and contribute to national efforts to have the EU’s “yellow card” warning lifted./.
