An Giang makes 2,100 calls to prevent vessels from violating IUU

According to the An Giang Department of Agriculture and Environment, during the first six months of 2026, alongside maintaining growth momentum in the fisheries sector, specialized agencies continued to tighten the management of seafood exploitation activities and implement synchronous measures to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. These efforts aim at the early removal of the European Commission (EC)'s "yellow card" warning.

To date, the province has 10,914 fishing vessels updated in the national fisheries database (VnFishbase), of which more than 95% of eligible vessels have been granted fishing licenses. The functional sector has also issued 3,627 fishing licenses, 800 vessel registration certificates, and 79 certificates of origin for seafood exported to the European market, with a total volume of nearly 697 tons. In addition, electronic catch documentation (eCDT) has been implemented, contributing to strengthening seafood traceability.

A key highlight in the fight against IUU fishing has been the effective application of the vessel monitoring system. Currently, 100% of fishing vessels subject to mandatory requirements have been equipped with monitoring devices.

Since the beginning of the year, specialized agencies have made 2,072 warning calls to 2,072 vessels that lost connection at sea. In addition, 121 notices have been issued for 567 cases of vessels losing connection for more than 6 hours and 22 cases for more than 10 days. Authorities have also issued 22 warning calls to vessels exhibiting high-risk signs of IUU violations, helping fishermen promptly address issues and comply with regulations during offshore operations.

The An Giang Sub-Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance has intensified at-sea patrols and inspections. In the first six months, fisheries surveillance forces conducted seven patrol sessions, inspected 144 vessels, detected 40 violations, received 12 cases from functional forces, and issued 16 penalty decisions with total fines of more than VND 1.6 billion.

Through a review of the national penalty database, authorities handled 127 violation cases with total fines of over VND 5.8 billion. For vessels losing monitoring signals, enforcement forces issued penalties for 32 vessels with total fines of more than VND 2.1 billion, while dismissing penalties in cases where sufficient grounds were established in accordance with regulations.

In the coming period, An Giang will continue to maintain strict control over fishing fleet operations, strengthen vessel monitoring, strictly handle violations, and intensify communication efforts to raise fishermen’s awareness of responsible fishing practices and sustainable fisheries development, contributing to the national effort to remove the EC's IUU "yellow card" warning.

$1 = VND 26,461 - Source: Vietcombank