Dong Thap Decisively Tackles IUU Fishing
(DTO) The Steering Committee for Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in Dong Thap Province held its July 2026 meeting.
According to the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Environment, the province currently has 1,475 registered fishing vessels, reaching 100%. To date, licensing has been completed for all 1,322 active vessels, reaching 100%. A total of 153 vessels do not meet operating conditions. These are currently under strict local control and weekly monitoring. Additionally, 876 out of 897 vessels have installed Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS).
The remaining vessels without VMS are undergoing legal enforcement, flagged for missing status removal, or under repair. Updating the province’s fishing vessel data into the national fisheries database (VNFishbase) and the VMS system has reached 100%, while vessel identification efforts stand at 99.9%.
The Department of Agriculture and Environment regularly collaborates with the Border Guard Command to effectively manage fishing vessel clearance procedures at ports and border guard stations through the electronic Catch Documentation and Traceability system (eCDT). This ensures that 100% of vessels entering, exiting, or passing border guard posts are monitored via the eCDT, VMS, and VNeID apps.
Furthermore, a 24/7 duty team actively tracks and alerts vessel owners and captains regarding VMS signal loss or boundary crossings, requiring full legal compliance. Local authorities maintain tight oversight over non-compliant vessels, high-risk vessels, and long-term shore-bound vessels with lost VMS connectivity.
Since the beginning of 2026, local fishing ports have handled 3,800 vessel dockings, unloading a total seafood volume of 22,730 tons. All 100% of this unloaded catch was fully, promptly, and accurately logged into the Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance Department’s Google Sheet database in accordance with regulations.
Seafood volume verification, certification, and traceability since early 2026 have complied fully with regulations. No European-bound export shipments have been found in violation of IUU fishing rules, and no export files contained discrepancies requiring verification or explanation.
Law enforcement and IUU fishing violation handling have been carried out promptly, with a total of 67 penalized cases resulting in fines totaling 4.589 billion VND. All offenders have complied with the penalty decisions, leaving no backlogs. Since 2024, Dong Thap Province has had zero fishing vessels violating foreign waters.
At the meeting, leaders from various agencies and localities reported on IUU fishing prevention efforts, including inspecting local enterprises exporting seafood to Europe; progress on implementing Resolutions 47 and 48 of the Provincial People’s Council; and key priorities scheduled for the coming period.
Speaking at the meeting, Tran Thi Be Bay, Deputy Director of the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Environment, stated that management of fishing vessels has recently received firm guidance from the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Committee, and local authorities. Communes and wards have actively stepped up their control over vessel operations.
Notably, the province currently has zero fishing vessels violating foreign waters. However, during inspections, several difficulties and bottlenecks remain, which the Department of Agriculture and Environment has compiled and submitted to the Provincial People’s Committee for resolution.
The Department requested that all relevant units focus on definitively completing their tasks to ensure that by the August Steering Committee meeting, a full completion report can be delivered to the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee. This will help enhance vessel management efficiency and thoroughly prepare conditions for the upcoming European Commission (EC) inspection team visit.
By T. DAT
Translated by ANH DUC
