Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has approved a plan to lease devices monitoring around 480 fishing boats that are not yet eligible for operation, aiming to strengthen management and prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Under the plan, the municipal government agreed in principle with a proposal from the Department of Agriculture and Environment to lease IT equipment to monitor fishing vessels lacking sufficient legal documentation or safety equipment.
The department has been tasked with coordinating with the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Finance, coastal communes and wards, and the Con Dao Special Zone to select suitable monitoring equipment. The devices must meet quality standards, comply with regulations, ensure operational efficiency, and optimise budget spending while preventing losses of State funds.
Since the Fisheries Law took effect in 2017, the city has achieved positive results in preventing IUU fishing. However, about 10% of fishing vessels are still not qualified for operation due to incomplete legal documentation or failure to meet technical safety requirements. These vessels are considered at high risk of committing violations, potentially affecting national efforts to remove the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning.
Previously, the monitoring of these vessels was conducted manually through on-site inspections at mooring locations or by asking vessel owners to send photos and location updates via the Zalo application. This method proved inefficient as it required significant manpower and travel costs while failing to ensure accurate oversight, particularly for vessels anchored outside the city.
The proposed model will provide a comprehensive technology service package, including vessel monitoring devices, management software, technical infrastructure, and operational personnel. The equipment can determine vessel location and direction, and detect vessels that leave mooring areas, experience device interference, or have low battery levels.
The total cost of the project is estimated at 2.88 billion VND (about 110,000 USD) from the city budget, with payments made monthly.
Once deployed, the monitoring system will enable authorities to track fishing vessels 24/7, promptly detect unauthorised movements or potential violations, and build a long-term database to improve fleet management.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, applying technology to monitor ineligible fishing vessels will reduce management costs and manpower compared with previous manual methods, while enhancing transparency and accuracy in fisheries management. The initiative is expected to help prevent IUU fishing, meet European Union requirements, and promote the sustainable development of the city’s fisheries sector in the coming years./.
