Ben Tre (VNA) – Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre have asked agencies and localities to urgently direct the strict implementation of measures against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing ahead of the European Commission’s (EC) fifth inspection visit.
Accordingly, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development works with relevent sectors and localities to make a list of non-compliant fishing vessels and provide it for border guard stations and fishing port authorities to ensure that such boats are not allowed to depart for operation.
Besides, the department is responsible for registering eligible vessels, issuing safety and fishing licences, and ensuring the installation and operation of vessel monitoring systems (VMS). All vessels with a length of 15 metres or more must maintain active VMS connections, with a 24/7 monitoring team overseeing compliance and promptly reporting violations.
Additionally, the department will cross-check registered vessels with those docking at designated ports and address cases where offloading occurs outside approved locations.
It will also monitor logistics service vessels and product transfers at sea to identify and address breaches. The provincial Border Guard Command will ensure all departing vessels meet legal requirements, particularly regarding VMS devices, and will prevent vessels lacking proper documentation from leaving port.
People’s committees of communes, wards and towns having fishing vessels have been instructed to carry out IUU prevention tasks efforts, participate in verifying vessel compliance, while raising awareness among vessel owners about legal fishing practices.
During a recent inspection in Ba Tri district, provincial Vice Chairman Nguyen Minh Canh, who also heads the province’s IUU Steering Committee, praised ongoing efforts and called for stronger coordination between the Ham Luong Border Guard Station and fishing port management to enhance vessel oversight and address boundary violations./.
