The PPC has directed relevant agencies, units together with local authorities to rigorously implement Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung ’s conclusions at the 36th meeting of the National Steering Committee on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing while promoting sustainable fisheries development.

Under the directive, agencies and local authorities must fulfil the Government’s “Five No’s” targets: no fishing vessels detained by foreign authorities; no ineligible fishing vessels engaged in fishing operations; no prolonged or unresolved violations involving vessel monitoring systems (VMS); no seafood consignments without traceable origins; as well as no discrepancies between reported figures and actual data alongside records.

The directive also calls for concerted efforts to fully address outstanding shortcomings, strengthen fisheries management as well as contribute to nationwide efforts to have the European Commission’s (EC) “yellow card” warning lifted.

Border guards stepping up outreach efforts to raise fishers’ awareness of measures to combat IUU fishing.

The Department of Agriculture and Environment has been assigned to lead a comprehensive review of fishing fleet management in coordination with the Provincial Border Guard Command and the People’s Committees of coastal communes coupled with wards and other localities with fishing vessels.

The department must closely monitor each vessel’s registration, technical inspection, fishing licence and VMS operational status, ensuring that vessels failing to meet operating requirements are prevented from leaving port. It must also urgently review as well as standardize information across fisheries databases, particularly the electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT), to ensure accuracy alongside consistency among agencies.

The Provincial Border Guard Command has been tasked with stepping up patrols and tightening controls on fishing vessels entering while leaving port, with departure clearance denied to those that do not meet the required conditions. It will also coordinate inspections and thorough investigations into cases involving lost VMS connections, disabled monitoring devices or vessels at risk of encroaching on foreign waters.

Coastal communes and wards along with other localities with fishing vessels must maintain accurate vessel lists and assign personnel to monitor the mooring locations together with operational status of vessels that do not meet operating requirements. They must also coordinate with relevant agencies to help fishers update eCDT records, with the aim of substantially completing the updates by the end of 2026.

Translated by THAO LINH