IUU fishing combat: Deputy PM urges data standardisation, stricter enforcement

The goal is both to have the “yellow card” removed and to develop the domestic seafood sector sustainably and responsibly, shifting focus from wild capture to aquaculture, he told at a meeting of the national steering committee for combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

It was reported at the meeting, linked with 21 coastal provinces and cities, that Viet Nam currently has 79,213 registered fishing vessels, all fully updated on the national VNFishbase database.

During the past week, authorities inspected 3,659 fishing vessels departing ports and 2,551 returning, tracking 9,550 tonnes of seafood landed through the electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT).

No additional fishing vessels were reported operating in foreign waters, while local authorities firmly addressed previous violations to strengthen deterrence.

At the meeting, Ha praised ministries, agencies, and localities for their serious, prompt, and diligent efforts in carrying out assigned tasks.

However, he pointed out that progress on certain tasks assigned by the Prime Minister remains unclear, particularly in fully resolving past cases of Vietnamese fishing vessels detained abroad, investigating and penalising origin fraud in swordfish shipments exported to Europe, and rolling out livelihood transition policies for fishermen in localities.

The official asked ministries, agencies, and localities to continue implementing tasks assigned by the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, the Government, and the Prime Minister with rigor and determination.

All tasks must be fully completed, with reporting that is honest and objective, avoiding formalities or chasing achievements for appearances, he stressed.

The Deputy PM urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to collect feedback from committee members to finalise the report and submit it to the EC by December 31, 2025.

The ministry was also requested to maintain regular communication and close coordination with the EC, and to continue working with other relevant ministries and agencies to inspect and guide all coastal localities in preparing for meetings with the EC inspection team.

Ha assigned specific tasks to ministries, agencies, and localities to investigate and strictly handle any networks facilitating fishing vessels or fishermen operating illegally in foreign waters, as well as any document falsification or fraud in the seafood supply chain.

Authorities are to patrol and monitor waters bordering other countries, strictly control fishing vessels departing and returning to ports, deny departure for vessels that do not meet requirements, and strengthen public communications on IUU fishing prevention.