Quang Ngai commits to completely overcome the shortcomings in IUU fishing

(Chinhphu.vn) – Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment requested Quang Ngai province to resolutely implement measures to overcome shortcomings in IUU fishing to seize golden opportunities and remove the tag for the fisheries industry.

The working group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment inspected the storm shelter and Tinh Hoa fishing port - Photo: VGP/LH

The number of fishing vessels at risk of IUU violations has decreased significantly.

On September 8, a working delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment led by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien inspected the Tinh Hoa fishing port and storm shelter area and worked with Quang Ngai province on the progress of implementing the European Commission (EC) recommendations in combating IUU fishing.

According to the People's Committee of Quang Ngai province, in recent times, the locality has given strong direction, issued many specific plans, organized conferences to disseminate information to the commune level, strengthened supervision and handled the responsibilities of leaders. Thanks to that, the situation of fishing vessels at risk of IUU violations has significantly decreased.

As of August 31, the province had 4,898 fishing vessels of 6m or more, of which more than 95% had been licensed to operate. Registration, inspection, and marking of fishing vessels reached 100%. All fishing vessels in operation had installed vessel monitoring devices (VMS). Cases that had not been installed were put on a separate monitoring list for management.

The number of fishing vessels at risk of violating IUU fishing has decreased significantly - Photo: VGP/LH

The province has also deployed the eCDT electronic seafood traceability system for 100% of ships entering and leaving the port; monitored more than 13,400 tons of output through the port and collected 13,500 fishing logbooks. As of August 2025, the Fishing Port Management Board has issued 99 raw material certificates with more than 2,500 tons of seafood; the Department of Fisheries - Sea and Islands has issued 62 certificates of exploited seafood with more than 800 tons of products.

However, according to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the locality still has a situation where ships lose connection to VMS and exceed the exploitation boundary. In the two years 2024 - 2025, the authorities have handled many violations but still face difficulties due to limited human resources and confusion in applying administrative handling regulations.

Faced with the above problems, Quang Ngai commits to direct resolutely and handle them thoroughly, requesting localities and related units to strengthen coordination, supervision, timely detect and prevent violating ships.

Mr. Ho Trong Phuong, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, said: "The province is committed to synchronously implementing solutions, ensuring clear changes from now until September 15, and best preparing for the working session with the EC Inspection Team. This is an urgent task, both to protect the reputation of the fisheries industry and to ensure sustainable livelihoods for fishermen."

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien - Photo: VGP/LH

Urgently complete fisheries infrastructure to serve fishermen

Regarding fishing port infrastructure, Quang Ngai province is implementing a project to upgrade and expand the storm shelter area combined with Tinh Hoa fishing port (Dong Son commune). The project has a total investment of 460 billion VND, of which the central budget is 400 billion VND and the local budget is 60 billion VND. According to the design, the new port is 350m long and 12m wide, and when completed can receive about 25,000 tons of seafood per year.

By early September 2025, the construction volume had only reached 16.8%. Many important items such as the renovation of the old port, embankment, internal port roads, and water supply and drainage systems had been deployed. However, progress was being affected because compensation and site clearance work had only reached nearly 50% of the area. Compensation costs increased by more than VND39 billion compared to the initial estimate. In addition, the design of the ship landing stairs at the wharf was considered unreasonable, causing difficulties for fishermen when transporting goods.

Mr. Ho Trong Phuong, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of the province, said that this is a key fisheries infrastructure project, contributing to protecting fishermen during the rainy and stormy season and promoting the province's marine economy . The government will focus on removing obstacles in terms of land, capital and progress to soon put the project into service for fishermen. To ensure this goal, the locality proposed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment soon approve the adjustment of the total investment, and at the same time propose that the Provincial People's Committee supplement capital for compensation and site clearance. If resolved promptly, Tinh Hoa fishing port will become a modern and safe fishing center, contributing to improving the lives of the Quang Ngai fishing community.

Concluding the working session, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien acknowledged Quang Ngai's efforts in combating IUU fishing, especially in applying digital technology ; functional agencies in the province have also had relatively close coordination to monitor fishing fleets and handle violations.

"This is a golden opportunity for Vietnam to remove the 'yellow card' on fisheries after 8 years. This time, we must launch a synchronous, drastic and thorough campaign. From now until September 15, we must prove to the European Commission that Vietnam has entered orbit, with positive changes in all four contents: institutions, fleet management and supervision, traceability and handling of administrative violations," the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment emphasized.

Regarding the Tinh Hoa fishing port project, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment requested the province to speed up the progress, work day and night, and not delay due to subjective reasons. The Ministry will continue to accompany and provide maximum support to help the province complete its tasks, creating a clear change in developing fisheries infrastructure and combating IUU fishing.

Liu Xiang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/quang-ngai-cam-ket-khac-phuc-dut-diem-cac-ton-tai-trong-khai-thac-iuu-102250908165319667.htm