Sailors from the Coast Guard Region No 2 rescue fishermen with accident at sea. The Coast Guard Region No 2 also paid trips to education local fishermen with IUU. — Photo courtesy of Nam Trung

ĐÀ NẴNG — Spreading festive cheer with a sea of goodwill, the Coast Guard Region No.2 is set to host its annual Tết on Islands programme in Lý Sơn Islands off Quảng Ngãi Province and rural areas of the central region on February 5-6, supporting underprivileged households and people who have made significant contributions to the nation.

The Coast Guard Region No.2 (CSBV2) Command said nearly 100 households, elderly people and fishermen in Ba Gia commune and Lý Sơn Islands will receive financial support and gifts ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.

The Tết programme is an annual initiative by the local coast guard to assist communities, fishermen and poor families. The force will send boats to deliver gifts to remote communes and islanders while hosting Tết festival exchanges between communities and coast guard personnel, it said.

The CSBV2 command also reported that it had organised communication programmes on curbing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and on educating fishermen and local communities about the legal framework. These efforts are part of the drive to remove the EU’s ‘yellow card’ warning in Quảng Bình, Quảng Ngãi, Gia Lai, and Đà Nẵng.

Between October and December last year, more than 3,500 fishermen on 143 fishing boats received education on IUU fishing.

Two officers of the Coast Guard Region No 2 take a control at sea. The Coast Guard Region No 2 implement regular control trips and education on IUU and law for fishermen at sea. Photo courtesy of Nam Trung

Eighty-seven fishing boats had been fined for violations related to IUU, including registration records, licences and vessel monitoring systems (VMS device), electronic declarations and the full submission of fishing logbook devices.

The force hosted education courses for 179 fishing boats with 239 fishermen during the year, ending two months ago.

It said regular boat trips have been conducted to provide information and raise awareness among fishermen on licensing and registration in the national fisheries database (VNFishbase), electronic fishing logbooks (e-logbook), the electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT), the vessel monitoring system (VMS) and the system for handling administrative violations in fisheries.

Đà Nẵng City’s fishery industry confirmed that all boats are well connected to their VMS under a 24-hour supervision and monitoring system, while all violations were clearly investigated by local authorities in 2023-25. — VNS