Kien Giang (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang is following the European Commission (EC)'s recommendations to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as part of a nationwide effort to lift the EC's "yellow card" warning.
To achieve this, the province plans to transform certain fishing practices that adversely affect local marine resources and the ecological environment, while simultaneously improving the State's capacity to manage fisheries.
It has also introduced subsidised subscription fees for the voyage monitoring system (VMS) service for fishing vessels. This initiative's two phases benefited 15,173 vessel trips with a total investment of over 2.6 billion VND (108,000 USD). The third phase has been approved, targeting over 7,000 vessel trips with an estimated budget of around 1.3 billion VND.
As a result, 3,604 boats have been equipped with VMS devices, accounting for 99.42% of the fishing vessels required. The remaining 21 vessels, currently in ports, are being monitored through Google Maps until installation is completed.
To facilitate seafood exports, the province has issued 23 certificates of origin for 252,330kg of seafood to six companies. Additionally, three exporters have been granted 116 certificates of origin for over 1,000 tonnes of seafood destined for Europe.
The provincial authorities have taken a proactive approach to enforcing regulations, handling 264 cases of VMS violations and imposing fines totaling over 14 billion VND. Furthermore, 239 cases of maritime violations were penalised during patrols and inspections, resulting in fines exceeding 3.7 billion VND. These actions have been documented in the national database on administrative penalties in fisheries, with 617 decisions recorded and fines amounting to more than 27.6 billion VND./.
