Positive changes in anti-IUU fishing: Absolutely do not cross the boundary

Raising fishermen's awareness

Mr. Ngo Van Cu, captain of the BV 94666-TS fishing vessel at Incomap port (Vung Tau city), said that his vessel always complies with the anti-IUU fishing regulations. Specifically, Mr. Cu absolutely does not cross the boundary to exploit in foreign waters; turns on the cruise monitoring equipment (VMS) 24/24; fully records the fishing log, etc.

"In times when the weather is not good and I lose the signal of the local cruise monitoring equipment, I always inform the functional agencies on the mainland to coordinate and repair in time. The fishing log also records fully from the coordinates of dropping and collecting the net to the fishing quantity and species," said Mr. Cu.

Similarly, Mr. Tran Binh Son, the owner of the fishing vessel in Phuoc Tinh commune (Long Dat district), always carefully checks the types of machines on the vessel before departing, especially VMS.

According to Mr. Son, the weather for several years has been quite extreme, with large waves, strong winds, and storms, so the machine is very easy to lose signals and damage. "Therefore, I have to carefully check the types of machines to promptly repair, ensuring a favorable sea trip and less connection losses, to not violate anti-IUU fishing," Mr. Son said.

In Phuoc Tinh commune (Long Dat district), thanks to the strengthening of dissemination and support of fishermen to overcome and handle IUU violations, fishermen's sense of observance has made positive changes. Fishermen better complied with the regulations on catching the right species in the right exploitation areas, not fishing in foreign waters, and fully recording the fishing logs.

The Commune People's Committee has established three communal dissemination groups and nine groups in nine hamlets. The Phuoc Tinh Commune People's Committee also built a Zalo group with the participation of fishing vessel owners, captains, leaders of the functional agencies, and border guards. As a result, the information about the new provisions of the law quickly disseminated. Fishermen also help each other conveniently when accidents occur and quickly handle cases of IUU violations.

Mr. Le Nhat, the owner of the fishing vessel in Phuoc Loi hamlet (Phuoc Tinh commune), said that at the end of last year, his vessel lost the VMS connection signal due to the weather. "The local government informed me, and I promptly contacted the captain to overcome it after only 1 hour. Thereafter, the commune officials guided me to use the app to send the report on the vessel's reconnection to the Provincial Fisheries Sub-Department so that the vessel was not punished. That is very enthusiastic and professional," Mr. Nhat said.

Additionally, the localities in Long Dat district and Vung Tau city also regularly organize coffee and breakfast sessions with fishermen and training sessions on digital transformation in declaring export and import information, electronically declaring fishing logs, overcoming connection losses, etc.

Strictly handling IUU violations

Leaders of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province are showing the determination to combat IUU fishing, both joining hands to remove the EC's "yellow card" and for sustainable and responsible fisheries. Every week, the provincial leaders have briefings chaired by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, strictly monitoring the implementation progress against IUU fishing of each department, branch, and locality.

The Provincial People's Committee has signed a regulation to coordinate with the law enforcement forces at sea to monitor and strictly control the activities of the fishing fleet at sea. At the same time, the forces promptly prevent fishing vessels from crossing boundaries and fishing in foreign waters.

According to Ms. Pham Thi Na, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, on the shore, there are also two stations controlling the operation of the fishing fleet, located at the Fisheries Sub-Department and the Provincial Border Guard Command, through the 24/7 cruise monitoring system. When discovering a fishing vessel with signs of crossing the permitted boundaries, officials of these two stations will immediately notify the law enforcement forces at sea to prevent it.

Besides, the localities with sea all have established a quick response team, including officials at the grassroots and border stations and other functional forces. When discovering a fishing vessel crossing the boundary and losing VMS connection, the Department of Agriculture and Environment reported directly to the local leaders to direct the quick response team to directly come to the house and ask the ship owner to immediately call the captain to return to Vietnamese waters.

The localities also promote the strict handling of IUU violations. According to Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, Vice Chairman of the Phuoc Tinh Commune People's Committee (Long Dat district), the commune has cooperated with the Phuoc Tinh Border Station and functional agencies to investigate and verify fishing vessels losing connection for over 6 hours to less than 10 hours a day, detecting 28 cases/31 ships. In particular, sanctioning administrative violations of 15 cases/18 fishing vessels with a total amount of VND 582 million. The remaining 13 cases do not sanction for technical errors and weather.

The Provincial People's Committee also strictly sanctioned cases of re-violating loss of connection many times. For example, the case of the ship owner in Phuoc Thang hamlet (Phuoc Tinh commune) was administratively sanctioned VND 200 million due to losing connection for over 6 hours more than 10 times.

Recently, on February 26, a fishing vessel owner in Ward 11 (Vung Tau city) was administratively sanctioned up to VND 475 million due to the fault of losing connection many times and sending VMS via other fishing vessels. The captain of this fishing vessel was also deprived of the practicing certificate for 12 months.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, Chairman of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial People's Committee, said that in recent times, the province has taken many measures to closely manage the fishing fleet and handle IUU violations fiercely and strictly. All  fishing vessels losing connection for 6 hours to less than 10 hours a day have been strictly handled by the province.

For cases of losing connection for more than 10 days, the provincial border forces also handled them ultimately. Only a few cases of violating fishing vessels are in other provinces and cities, which are coordinated by the province. All serious circumstances of fishing in foreign waters and bringing people to cross the boundary in foreign waters discovered by the functional agencies are criminally prosecuted with mobile trials to increase deterrence in the community.

It is thanks to the decisions to strictly sanction IUU violations in collaboration with the dissemination that the cases of violating connection losses are significantly reduced. The province in previous years had more than 400 violations of connection losses a day, which is now reduced to less than 10 cases/day.

From 2020 to 2024, the province has discovered and administratively handled 666 cases in the field of fisheries with a total fine of nearly VND 19 billion. Ba Ria-Vung Tau has also prosecuted and investigated 7 cases, including the trial of 1 case/1 subject, sentencing to 6 years in prison for bringing people to cross the boundary to foreign waters for illegal fishing.

* USD 1 = VND 25,570 (Exchange rate updated on April 4, 2025; Source: Vietcombank)