Dak Lak (VNA) – A meeting was held on February 27 between a working delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and relevant ministries and agencies, led by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, and the Dak Lak provincial People’s Committee to discuss measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
At the meeting, Tien urged local authorities and relevant agencies to strengthen management of registered fishing vessels operating in the province. Competent agencies were requested to review all records and data related to fishing, purchasing and processing activities, with a focus on inspecting, verifying and strictly handling enterprises and vessels showing signs of violations. Units were also asked to standardise and finalise data related to IUU prevention and control.
Dak Lak was requested to complete all necessary preparations to receive and work with an inspection team from the European Commission (EC), scheduled to assess Vietnam’s anti-IUU efforts in March 2026 as part of the process to remove the EC’s “yellow card” warning on the country’s seafood exports.
Representatives of ministries and central agencies discussed solutions to help the province address difficulties and shortcomings in implementing anti-IUU measures. Local authorities reported on recent inspections, verification and handling of violating enterprises and fishing vessels.
Nguyen Thien Van, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the province’s anti-IUU work has recorded positive progress, with strong commitment from local leaders and active participation from the entire political system, businesses and fishermen. The province proposed additional technical and human resource support from central authorities to address remaining shortcomings and contribute to national efforts to have the EC's warning lifted.
According to the provincial Sub-department of Fisheries, Seas and Islands, as of February 25, nearly 2,600 fishing vessels had been registered in the national database, while 22 others are completing licensing procedures and are not operating at sea. All vessels subject to mandatory installation of vessel monitoring systems (VMS), those measuring 15 metres or more in length, have completed installation, covering 685 vessels.
Earlier on February 26, the delegation inspected the implementation of anti-IUU measures at Dong Tac fishing port, focusing on vessel entry and exit control, monitoring of landed catches, certification of seafood origin, compliance with fishing log requirements, operation of VMS equipment, and the handling of violations in accordance with regulations./.
