Nghe An launches peak month against IUU fishing

Following the central government's direction and guidance, Nghe An's political system has shown strong commitment and responsibility in the fight against IUU fishing in recent years, joining the rest of the country in efforts to have the European Commission's (EC) yellow card lifted.

That commitment is again reflected in Plan No. 787/KH-UBND, recently issued by the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, to implement remedial measures in line with EC recommendations. The plan also follows Decision No. 1516/QD-TTg dated August 10, 2026, from the Prime Minister, and guidance from the National Steering Committee on IUU.

Given the current situation, Nghe An aims to quickly clear persistent bottlenecks and shortcomings, driving fundamental change in fisheries management and development. The province is determined to prevent and ultimately end destructive and illegal fishing practices altogether, in the interest of a transparent, sustainable, and community-responsible fisheries sector.

To prepare thoroughly for the upcoming EC inspection visit, the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee has set the following targets: 100 percent of trips by fishing vessels 6 meters or longer, entering or leaving port, recorded on the eCDT software system; 100 percent of registered fishing vessels fully, accurately, and promptly updated in the VNFishbase database; 100 percent of vessels required to install vessel monitoring system (VMS) devices checked for device status when leaving or entering port; and no certification of catch origin issued for vessels lacking data, or with invalid data, on the eCDT system.

The province also aims to inspect 100 percent of seafood processing and export businesses shipping to Europe under a risk-based assessment method; ensure 100 percent of IUU violations are received, verified, and handled within the proper authority and timeframe; and end vessels violating foreign waters.

To meet these targets, the Provincial People's Committee has directed the heads of relevant agencies to bear direct, comprehensive responsibility to the provincial chairman for actual results. They must strictly apply the principle of "one fishing vessel, one identification code, one unified electronic record," review and standardize data across VNFishbase, vessel registration, vessel inspection, VMS, and population databases, and closely manage vessels with expired inspection certificates, expired licenses, or canceled registration. All fishing vessels must be marked and numbered according to regulations.

The province is determined to investigate and pursue criminal prosecution for brokering or organizing illegal fishing trips into foreign waters, falsifying or fraudulently preparing seafood documentation, or deliberately tampering with or disabling VMS devices, with absolutely no exceptions and no protected areas.

Nghe An has directed relevant units to focus on carrying out a "peak month" against IUU fishing through September 15, 2026, during which maximum resources must be mobilized to thoroughly resolve outstanding issues in fleet management, VMS connectivity, port entry and exit controls, and traceability.

During this peak month, the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment has been tasked with leading efforts to monitor, update, and consolidate progress, while proactively organizing interagency inspection teams and unannounced inspections at localities, fishing ports, and businesses to stay informed and advise the Provincial People's Committee in reporting to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Once the peak month concludes, the assigned units must evaluate the results achieved, identifying which tasks were completed and which were not, and clearly determining the causes and responsibility for any shortfalls.