Hue (VNA) – Hue city has ramped up technological upgrades and tightened oversight of fishing activities in early 2026 as part of efforts to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and prevent violations in foreign waters.
During the first quarter, the Department of Agriculture and Environment worked closely with city police and the Border Guard Command to inspect and supervise so-called “three-no” fishing vessels — those lacking registration, licences, or inspection certification — along with boats deemed ineligible for operation in Thuan An, Quang Dien, Vinh Loc, and Chan May–Lang Co. These vessels are now subject to strict weekly monitoring and are prohibited from leaving port.
Authorities have also continued reviewing fishing vessel data to align with the national Vnfishbase database, while reassessing violation records to remove compliant vessels from monitoring lists when adequate evidence is provided. Inspection teams have simultaneously strengthened checks on seafood origin certification at export-oriented processing enterprises.
Local officials said outreach efforts have been expanded through multiple communication channels to raise fishermen’s awareness of anti-IUU fishing regulations. Border guard forces have maintained strict port controls, refusing departure clearance for vessels that fail to meet operational requirements or violate regulations, while conducting routine inspections covering documentation, crew verification, communications equipment, and vessel monitoring systems.
Hue is also accelerating upgrades to information technology infrastructure at fishing ports, enabling fishermen to update catch data through the electronic catch documentation and traceability (eCDT) system and adopt electronic fishing logbooks. By December 31, 2025, all vessels measuring 15 metres or longer had completed port entry and departure procedures via the eCDT platform.
The city now requires seafood buyers, processing enterprises, fishing ports, and fisheries management agencies to monitor landed catch volumes and traceability records digitally through the same system. To date, 56 vessels have adopted electronic logbooks, with installation and training continuing to ensure wider implementation.
According to the municipal Fisheries Sub-Department, Hue has completed the inventory and verification of vessel owners across all 11 coastal wards and communes, with 1,100 registered fishing vessels fully updated in Vnfishbase.
The locality still records five “three-no” vessels, 30 boats ineligible for operation, and 151 vessels whose registrations have been revoked since 2024. All have been entered into the national fisheries database and remain under strict visual and location-based monitoring by local authorities to ensure they do not operate at sea./.
