On January 14, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Head of the National Steering Committee on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU), chaired the 12th meeting of the Steering Committee in person and online with ministries, sectors and 28 coastal localities.
According to the report, there are currently 888 "3 no" fishing boats nationwide (not registered, not inspected, not licensed). According to local reports, the boats are damaged and no longer able to operate. Some boat owners do not need to register to operate, and some boats no longer exist locally.
Localities prosecuted 39 criminal cases and brought 10 cases to public trial for the crimes of: Organizing illegal exit for others; fraudulent appropriation of property; obstructing or disrupting the operation of computer networks, telecommunications networks, and electronic devices; forging seals and documents of agencies and organizations, legalizing records; related to the act of dismantling and sending VMS equipment; illegally manufacturing and using explosives, etc.
The total amount of fines for IUU violations in 2024 is nearly 100 billion VND for more than 4,300 cases (in 2023 it is over 89 billion VND and 4,022 cases).
Regarding activities to prevent and handle illegal fishing vessels in foreign waters, from August 2024 to present, functional forces have recorded 10 cases of Vietnamese fishermen being arrested and processed by foreign countries, registered in Kien Giang, Ca Mau, and Tien Giang.
Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha assessed that recently, most ministries, branches and localities have achieved good results in overcoming IUU violations.
Localities that have not completed their assigned tasks and goals need to seriously consider the responsibilities of each relevant department, branch, unit and individual.
The Deputy Prime Minister requested the issuance of procedures and regulations for management, operation, updating, exploitation and use of fisheries management databases and the responsibilities of parties such as management agencies, law enforcement forces, fishing ports, seafood processing and exporting enterprises, fishermen, etc. to define the management of fishing vessels by territory, "where fishing vessels violate, they will be handled there".
The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to establish interdisciplinary inspection teams in the first quarter of 2025 to inspect the implementation of management and updating of data on fishing vessels in localities; the responsibility of state management agencies when failing to strictly and promptly handle IUU violations; and the compliance with IUU of seafood purchasing, processing and exporting establishments.
