Resolutely combat illegal fishing (IUU)

Quang Ninh has a long coastline and large fishing grounds. This is an advantage for developing the marine economy, but it also poses many challenges, especially in the prevention of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The authorities have been determined to prevent violations and accompany fishermen to safely and legally go to sea.

Officers and soldiers of Co To Border Guard Station propagate to fishermen about IUU.

Co To Special Economic Zone is located more than 60 nautical miles from the mainland, and is an important fishing ground of the province. The sea area around the island has many rare seafood species, which are the main livelihood of thousands of fishermen and also a resource that needs to be strictly protected. Therefore, the management and prevention of illegal fishing in this area is of special significance in the development of sustainable fisheries.

Co To Border Guard Station regularly patrols the sea, inspects fishing vessels operating in the area; many cases of using prohibited fishing gear or violating the sea boundary have been strictly handled. The constant presence of the Border Guard force here has become a reliable support for fishermen to go out to sea, stick to the sea, develop their livelihoods associated with protecting aquatic resources. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thom, a fisherman in Duong Hoa commune, shared: Going to sea is risky, especially when encountering unexpected storms. But thanks to the Border Guard comrades who regularly patrol and provide timely support, we feel much more secure when going to sea.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duy Tuan, an officer of Co To Border Guard Station, said: Along with patrolling, propaganda and mobilization work for fishermen is also considered an important "key". Officers and soldiers of the unit regularly approach fishermen right at the boat anchorage and during patrols at sea to disseminate the law, instruct people to strictly comply with regulations, not to violate foreign waters, and not to use prohibited fishing gear. Thereby, gradually forming self-awareness, ending the IUU situation.

In the sea border area with China, the Van Gia Port Border Guard Station manages a large sea area, including Vinh Thuc island commune and Van Gia international port. In addition to strengthening patrols and controlling the assigned sea area, Van Gia Border Guard Station also builds and maintains the "Clean Sea Team" model with the direct participation of fishermen. Each team consists of many fishing households anchored at the port, committed to not exploiting IUU, not using prohibited fishing gear, and at the same time coordinates to collect plastic waste and damaged nets after each fishing trip to keep the wharf environment clean. Members of the team are also responsible for promptly reporting to the border guards when detecting violating vessels. Thanks to that, fishermen's awareness of obeying the law and the spirit of self-protection of fishing grounds have been significantly improved.

Implementing the Prime Minister's direction, the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province has reviewed the status of registration, inspection, and licensing of fishing vessels; at the same time, accelerated the updating of vessel owner data to the national fisheries database (VNFishbase) and implemented electronic declaration and traceability of aquatic products eCDT. Thanks to the drastic and synchronous direction, in just the first 6 months of 2025, the functional forces coordinated to control more than 4,200 fishing vessels, strictly handled 97 IUU fishing violations, with a total fine of over 1.2 billion VND. To date, 100% of fishing vessels 15 meters or longer have been installed with VMS devices, fishing vessel journey monitoring systems, and personal data of 97.7% of vessel owners has been updated to VNFishbase. Every week, a list of vessels at high risk of violating or losing VMS connection for more than 10 days is sent to the Border Guard and relevant units for timely coordination and handling.

Fishermen in Van Don special economic zone use HDPE buoys in aquaculture, contributing to protecting the marine environment and developing sustainable aquaculture.

In parallel with preventing illegal fishing, Quang Ninh has planned more than 45,000 hectares of sea surface for aquaculture, aiming to develop high-tech marine farming, gradually replacing spontaneous extensive farming, associated with protecting the ecosystem and environment. The province speeds up licensing, allocating water surface to households, cooperatives and enterprises; encourages the application of modern cages and automatic monitoring technology, thereby creating stable livelihoods for fishermen, increasing export value and reducing exploitation pressure on natural fishing grounds, towards a legal and responsible fishery.

The measures taken by Quang Ninh are clear evidence of the province's determination in preventing and combating IUU, and at the same time contribute significantly to the effort to remove the European Commission's "yellow card" on Vietnamese seafood.

Le Nam

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/quyet-liet-chong-khai-thac-thuy-san-trai-phep-iuu-3374820.html