Fishermen change from awareness
Over the past time, drastically implementing solutions to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) seafood exploitation, Quang Tri province has strengthened inspection and strict control of fishing vessels entering and leaving fishing ports in the area.
Each vessel is inspected for information, each dossier is carefully reviewed, each journey monitoring device is strictly inspected before being allowed to depart, resolutely not allowing fishing vessels that do not meet the conditions to go out to sea.
Canh Duong, a famous coastal village in former Quang Binh province, now belonging to Hoa Trach commune, Quang Tri province, currently has more than 600 fishing boats, mainly operating offshore fishing.
Over the past time, local fishermen have strictly complied with regulations on installing journey monitoring equipment, recording fishing logs, absolutely not encroaching on foreign waters.
Mr. Pham Dinh Dien - head of Thuong Giang village, Hoa Trach commune said that the government and the commune Farmers' Association regularly organize propaganda and mobilize ship owners to sign commitments not to violate IUU. Complying with regulations not only helps fishermen feel secure in sticking to the sea but also contributes to improving the output and quality of seafood, creating stable income.
Combating INN exploitation is only truly sustainable when starting from changing the awareness of fishermen themselves. When fishermen understand the boundaries at sea, grasp legal regulations and fully recognize the consequences of violations, compliance will become a voluntary action in each sea trip.
Fisherman Vo Sy Ve - owner of fishing boat QB.93190-TS, in Hoa Trach commune shared that the Border Guard force and local authorities regularly remind and encourage before each sea trip, so people comply very strictly.
Currently, there is a boundary map, and there are ship identification devices operating around, so fishermen are assured to exploit. Just maintain full journey monitoring equipment and there is no worry about violating sea areas or encroaching on foreign waters," Mr. Ve said.
Currently, the fishing port system in Quang Tri province fully meets the requirements for infrastructure for receiving ships and boats, ready to serve the increased port arrival volume.
More importantly, fishing ports closely coordinate with the Provincial IUU Control Office to fully implement the inspection procedures for licenses, fishing logs, and connection status of journey monitoring devices (VMS).
Any fishing vessel, whether in the province or outside the province, if VMS connection is not maintained according to regulations, will be detained at the port.
Strict control
Right at the office, the screen system monitors fishing vessels operating continuously, updating positions, directions of movement and VMS signals. When detecting abnormal signs, functional forces immediately review and request ship owners to fix them, to prevent the situation of loss of connection or fishing beyond the permitted boundary.
Mr. Le Ngoc Linh - Deputy Head of Quang Tri Provincial Fisheries Sub-Department said that in the current period, it is impossible to "give up" on any errors, because each violation can prolong the time to remove the IUU "yellow card".
After implementing Action Plan No. 501/KH-UBND dated August 14, 2025, nearly 100% of fishing vessels that do not meet the conditions have been monitored and controlled.
The province has established 2 inter-sectoral inspection teams to patrol in coastal areas, channels, anchorage areas, and resolutely handle "3-no" fishing vessels.
Mr. Le Van Bao - Vice Chairman of Quang Tri Provincial People's Committee emphasized that each ship trip to port not only carries seafood but also the entire exploitation journey must be strictly controlled, from logs, VMS data to unloaded output. Only when the data matches, will seafood be eligible to participate in the legal origin traceability chain.
