Vinh Long (VNA) – The southern province of Vinh Long is ramping up crackdown on fishing boats without licenses, registration, or inspection certificates, as part of the country's efforts to remove the European Union’s “yellow card” warning on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Lu Quang Ngoi, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the province has tightly monitored all vessels entering and leaving ports over the past week, issued permits to all qualified vessels, while barring non-qualifying ones from sailing under any conditions.
Nguyen Van Buoi, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, said 4,627 fishing vessels are now registered in Vinh Long, with 4,455, or 100% of the active fleet, now licensed and 2,678 fully inspected.
Voyage monitoring systems have been fitted on 2,235 of 2,254 offshore vessels, with the inactive remainder under tight watch.
Since early this year, 3,817 vessels have temporarily lost connectivity due to equipment malfunctions, transmission errors, or weak satellite signals, but all reported positions promptly and returned to ports within 10 days. Monitoring teams remain on alert to warn and guide vessels nearing boundaries, preventing illegal fishing beyond permitted zones.
The department is working closely with police, border guards, and local authorities to enforce anti-IUU compliance among officials and Party members, mandating full inspections on departures and arrivals, rigorous catch documentation and real-time activity logging.
On-duty officers provide round-the-clock oversight, instantly notifying owners of vessels approaching limits or entering prohibited zones, with violations facing severe fines or criminal proceedings./.
