Hanoi (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap is strengthening the management of its fishing fleet, monitoring of fishing activities at sea, and enforcement of regulations against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as part of nationwide efforts to have the European Commission (EC)'s “yellow card” warning on Vietnam’s seafood exports lifted.
Local authorities said the province will push ahead with implementing anti-IUU fishing measures in line with the Government’s directives and the EC’s recommendations. It will ensure all eligible fishing vessels are registered, inspected, licensed and equipped with vessel monitoring system (VMS) devices that remain continuously connected in accordance with regulations.
They will also tighten control over vessels entering and leaving ports, monitor seafood landings, and step up the verification and certification of seafood origin to ensure full traceability.
Patrols and inspections will be intensified, with strict penalties to be imposed on violations, particularly VMS signal loss, the crossing of maritime boundaries and other breaches of fisheries rules. The province is determined to prevent local fishing vessels from infringing upon foreign waters. At the same time, public awareness campaigns will be boosted to improve compliance with laws while authorities will enhance monitoring vessels considered at high risk of committing violations.
According to the provincial Steering Committee for combating IUU fishing, Dong Thap completed all 14 tasks assigned under the Prime Minister’s Official Dispatch No. 34/CD-TTg and related directives in the first half of 2026. Of the 45 tasks assigned by the provincial People’s Committee, 21 have been completed, 19 are being carried out regularly, four are under implementation, and only one has yet to begin.
To date, all active fishing vessels in the province have been registered, inspected, licensed, properly marked and managed in accordance with regulations. A total of 881 vessels have installed VMS devices, while 23 have yet to do so because they are under legal proceedings, have sunk, or are undergoing conversion or repair.
Authorities are also keeping a close watch on 145 vessels that are ineligible for operation. The provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment has updated lists of ineligible and high-risk vessels weekly, as well as those with prolonged VMS signal interruptions, enabling local authorities to monitor them closely.
Relevant agencies have maintained round-the-clock monitoring of VMS signals, promptly warning vessels that lose connection or show signs of crossing maritime boundaries. They have also coordinated with the border guard force and local authorities to supervise vessels entering and leaving ports.
During the first six months of the year, Dong Thap issued 40 certificates of origin for more than 85 tonnes of raw seafood materials and nine certificates covering over 188 tonnes of seafood products. All applications were processed through the electronic catch documentation and traceability (eCDT) system, meeting export traceability requirements. To date, no seafood shipment exported to the European market has violated anti-IUU fishing regulations or required additional origin verification.
Law enforcement has also been strengthened. In the first half of 2026, authorities handled 53 IUU fishing-related violations, imposing fines totalling nearly 4 billion VND (over 152,100 USD). Notably, no fishing vessels from Dong Thap were caught operating illegally in foreign waters, and inspections found no problems with the documentation for seafood exports to the European market, authorities reported./.
