Phu Yen (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien asked the south central province of Phu Yen to take stronger actions in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, while making a field trip to the Dong Tac fishing port in Tuy Hoa city on February 26.
Urging the province to be more proactive in implementing IUU prevention tasks, Tien requested relevant authorities to strictly punnish organisations and individuals whose violations affect the national effort to lift the yellow card warning that the European Commission (EC) imposed to Vietnamese seafood.
The province was asked to soon complete the registration, inspection, and licensing of fishing operations and ensur that data is fully updated in the national fisheries database.
The quantity of fish caught by vessels entering and leaving the port needs to be closely monitored.
Phu Yen currently has 3,090 registered fishing vessels in the national fisheries database, of which, 681 vessels are 15 meters or longer. Particularly, 672 vessels were equipped with vessel monitoring system (VMS) devices as required while the other nine vessels are without VMS due to being damaged, out of service, or newly registered.
Since 2019, fishing vessels from Phu Yen fishermen have not violated regulations on fishing in foreign waters.
From October 2023 to February 24, 2025, authorities have fined 95 violators, collecting a total fine of over 940 million VND (over 36,700 USD). Common violations include unregistered fishing vessels, lack of captain certificates, and unregistered crew members./.
