Dong Thap (VNA) – The southern province of Dong Thap is intensifying measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in a concerted effort to help remove the European Commission (EC)’s “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood.
One of Dong Thap's priorities is the effective implementation of awareness campaigns for fishermen, organisations and individuals to ensure strict compliance with regulations against IUU fishing. The province is conducting inventories of vessels that have failed to meet requirements, including those that are unregistered or lack technical safety certificates, fishing permits, or satellite-based vessel monitoring systems (VMS).
Dong Thap has made significant progress in issuing fishing licences, registering and inspecting fishing vessels, and certifying facilities that meet food safety and hygiene standards. All active vessels are registered, inspected, marked and licensed. Furthermore, vessels must be equipped with a VMS and maintain round-the-clock connection.
Regarding monitoring at sea, the province oversees all offshore fishing boats, particularly those that frequently operate in border-adjacent waters. Authorities deal strictly with vessels that lose their tracking signals for more than six hours or for more than ten days while operating at sea.
The province also works closely with the Command of Coast Guard Regions 3 and 4 to promptly share information and handle incidents at sea, ensuring that no fishing vessel violates foreign waters. At the same time, the list of high-risk vessels is uploaded to the VMS database to inform law enforcement agencies and take action in accordance with regulations.
Dong Thap also strictly controls the transshipment of aquatic products at sea and rigorously penalises vessels engaged in illegal fishing-related transshipment activities or those that fail to dock at designated ports for unloading as required.
The province strictly enforces confirmation, certification and traceability procedures for seafood catches, and remains committed to penalising any violations found in shipments bound for European markets.
According to Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Dieu, the province has not recorded any violations of foreign waters since 2024. The number of vessels losing their VMS connection has also fallen significantly. Of the 1,507 registered vessels, 1,298 active vessels are in full compliance./.
