The central province of Lam Dong has intensified a coordinated package of measures to tighten fishing vessel management, strengthen supervision of fishing activities and enhance law enforcement, aligning with nationwide efforts to secure the removal of the European Commission’s (EC) “yellow card” warning over illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
At a meeting reviewing anti-IUU fishing efforts on January 27, Nguyen Van Chien, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, said the department has stepped up coordination with functional forces and local authorities to intensify supervision and strictly manage fishing vessels, particularly those classified as high-risk, with a firm stance against any incursions into foreign waters.
Alongside guidance and support for fishermen in completing registration, inspection and licensing procedures, agencies and localities have also strengthened measures to address cases of lost connectivity of vessel monitoring system (VMS) devices, he said.
According to the provincial steering committee for combating IUU fishing, tighter fleet management remains a priority, with a focus on screening and strictly controlling vessels to ensure they are eligible for operation. As of January 23, Lam Dong had 8,208 registered fishing vessels, of which 7,189 held valid fishing licences, accounting for 87.58%.
Authorities have also moved decisively to deal with vessels that fail to meet operational standards, have expired licences or have had their registrations revoked. Local administrations have been instructed to closely monitor anchorage sites and ensure that unqualified vessels are barred from fishing. Meanwhile, police, border guards and fisheries management agencies are jointly verifying unlawful transactions involving fishing vessels while working to clarify cases of so-called “ghost vessels” and boats with unclear ownership or incomplete legal status.
Since the start of 2026, border guard stations, fishing ports and fisheries control offices have maintained round-the-clock monitoring of vessel movements. Across the province, more than 3,600 vessel departures and arrivals have been recorded at border guard checkpoints, alongside over 3,000 port entries and exits. Seafood landings through ports have topped 1,300 tonnes.
A central pillar of the province’s efforts is the strict enforcement of VMS-based monitoring. Notably, no cases of VMS signal loss among locals fishing vessels have been recorded at sea since the year's beginning.
Looking ahead, Lam Dong is formulating longer-term policies and programmes to restructure the fisheries sector towards sustainability. Key initiatives include a project on occupational transition linked to fleet restructuring and the application of digital technologies through 2030, as well as a sustainable fisheries development plan for 2026–2030 with a vision to 2045. Policies supporting vessel decommissioning, occupational transition and upgrades to VMS devices are also being finalised for submission to competent authorities.
Addressing the meeting, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Trong Yen urged sectors and coastal localities to continue seriously adhering to central and provincial directives on combating IUU fishing, mobilise the entire political system in the work, reinforce grassroots accountability and raise fishermen’s legal awareness.
He also called on departments, agencies and localities to maintain sustained focus on fishing vessel management and control, identifying it as a core and long-term task, particularly in dealing with “three-no” vessels that lack registration, inspection or licences. Coastal localities were instructed to conduct comprehensive reviews of vessel numbers, conditions and anchorage locations, and to firmly prevent such vessels from engaging in fishing activities in any form./.
