Many bright spots in IUU fishing prevention in Quang Ngai

Quang Ngai province currently has more than 4,900 registered fishing vessels. To date, 100% of vessels operating at sea have been equipped with standardized devices for vessel monitoring systems (VMS), a proper license plate, and marked as per regulations. Thanks to the active and determined participation of all relevant authorities, this province’s efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing have seen positive progress.

At seaports and coastal checkpoints across the province, the police and border guards frequently inspect vessels’ VMS devices when they depart or return, cross-check fishing logs, and remind fishermen to comply with regulations during offshore operations strictly. Many public communication campaigns have been widely implemented, encouraging fishermen to follow the law on marine resource exploitation. Localities have collaborated with fishery unions and associations to organize meetings, urging fishermen not to engage in illegal fishing and to encourage their families and peers to adopt good practices.

Fisherman Nguyen Van Anh (Tinh Khe Commune, Quang Ngai) said, “Thanks to active communication and thorough guidance, in recent years, my crewmates and I have always followed the law during our fishing trips, keeping our monitoring devices active and ensuring that we only fish within permitted boundaries.”

Quang Ngai’s focus is on investing in fishery infrastructure and protecting and developing aquatic resources to achieve sustainable growth. The traceability of aquatic products has been strictly implemented. VMS has proven effective, from offshore operations to port management and local government oversight. One thing to note is that no vessels or fishermen from Quang Ngai have been detained by foreign authorities, and the number of vessels at risk of IUU violations has dropped sharply over the past year.

Despite these achievements, the risk of IUU violations among fishermen in Quang Ngai remains. Some vessel owners still intentionally turn off or disable VMS devices and fail to dock at designated ports for unloading, complicating catch monitoring. In September 2025 alone, authorities of the province and coastal localities recorded 105 cases and sanctioned 19 violations for disconnecting VMS devices during fishing operations.

In response to the situation, the provincial police have closely coordinated with the Border Guard Command, the Sub-Department of Fisheries, and other agencies to review and list all vessels that fail to maintain VMS connections or violate port regulations, ensuring strict enforcement.

“We have coordinated with relevant forces to review and identify vessels that lost VMS connection or failed to dock at designated ports for unloading. At the same time, we integrate communication and outreach activities to raise public awareness on compliance with the Fisheries Law and regulations related to IUU fishing,” said Lieutenant Colonel Truong Quang Dat of the Quang Ngai Police Department’s Economic Security Division.

To build a responsible, transparent, and sustainable fisheries sector, Quang Ngai’s leadership has directed all relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals to urgently and comprehensively implement decisive IUU prevention measures, contributing to Vietnam’s overall effort to remove the “yellow card” of the European Commission (EC) by 2025.

“The Department of Agriculture and Environment must advise the provincial government to follow central directives strictly. The Border Guard strictly controls vessels through sea gates and imposes serious penalties for violations. The provincial police enhances fleet monitoring and considers criminal prosecution in severe cases to warn others.

“In the meantime, People’s Committees of coastal communes, wards, and particularly Ly Son special administrative region must record statistics and manage vessels that do not meet operational standards, clearly assigning responsibility to local officials and enforcement units for vessel supervision,” said Tran Phuoc Hien, Vice Chairman of the Quang Ngai People’s Committee.

On October 7, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the sixteenth meeting of the National Steering Committee on Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highly appreciated the earnest working spirit of ministries, branches, and localities, especially the Army, Police, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in promoting the removal of the EC’s "yellow card".

Thanks to ample efforts, the number of unlicensed vessels decreased, the number of vessels not qualified to operate decreased, the rate of vessels installed with VMS equipment increased, and no more vessels were recorded losing connection or violating foreign waters.

However, the Prime Minister frankly pointed out the shortcomings: the progress of change is still slow compared to the requirements. The whole country still has 8,508 fishing vessels that have not been licensed, 9,066 vessels that are not qualified to operate (due to not being registered, not having a valid license, or not having installed VMS devices), 249 fishing vessels have not yet installed VMS, and the handling of vessels that have lost connection and crossed maritime boundaries has not improved.