Thanh Hoa (VNA) – The north central province of Thanh Hoa has stepped up efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, cutting the number of fishing vessels losing connection to their vessel monitoring system (VMS) by 96% in the first seven months of 2026 compared to the same period last year.
All fishing vessels subject to registration have been entered into the national fisheries database (Vnfishbase), with data synchronised with the VNeID digital identification platform. However, 36 vessels remain disconnected from the VMS network and are being investigated.
Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Cao Van Cuong has directed local authorities to coordinate with the police and Border Guard force to urgently verify and handle the remaining cases, while imposing strict penalties on seven vessels found operating beyond permitted fishing boundaries.
The provincial Border Guard Command has been instructed to intensify patrols at sea, estuaries and fishing ports, and refuse departure clearance for vessels that fail to meet legal requirements. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has been tasked with closely monitoring the VMS system to detect tampering and coordinate inspections with relevant agencies. Boat owners are required to complete vessel registration, inspection and fishing licence renewal procedures before July 31.
According to the department, authorities have verified and handled 71 of 107 vessels previously disconnected from the VMS this year. Sixteen vessels were fined a total of 577.5 million VND (21,940 USD) for losing VMS signals for more than six hours, while 55 cases were closed without penalties after verification. Investigations into the remaining 36 vessels are continuing.
Authorities have also placed 41 vessels ineligible for fishing operations under strict local management, moving them to designated anchorage areas and monitoring them daily to prevent illegal departures.
The province has introduced policies to help fishermen upgrade VMS equipment, recover from natural disasters, and voluntarily decommission vessels or switch occupations. To date, 20 vessels have registered for decommissioning under a provincial support programme worth an estimated 3.8 billion VND.
Thanh Hoa is also modernising its fisheries sector through upgraded fishing port infrastructure, digital vessel management and stricter seafood traceability. Since the beginning of 2026, 1,553 vessels have completed electronic arrival and departure procedures through the electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT) at the province's four designated offshore fishing ports, handling more than 10,488 tonnes of landed seafood.
Ahead of an expected European Commission (EC) inspection in September, the province is reviewing documentation, strengthening inter-agency coordination and addressing remaining shortcomings in IUU fishing prevention as part of Vietnam's efforts to have the EC's "yellow card" warning on seafood exports removed./.
