The HCM City People Committee presents certificates of merit to collectives and individuals for their outstanding contributions to the fight against llegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the first half of 2026. — VNA/VNS Photos Hương Giang

HCM City — There were no instances of HCM City-based fishing vessels being detained in foreign waters so far this year, a milestone authorities say reflects stronger enforcement against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

This was highlighted at a review meeting on prevention of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing held by the city People’s Committee on June 10.

The result supports national efforts to address recommendations from the European Commission and secure the removal of its "yellow card" warning on Vietnamese seafood exports.

Phạm Thị Na, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, said the city has 4,445 fishing vessels, with 2,197 operating offshore.

All of them have been integrated into the national fisheries database.

In the first half of 2026, the city IUU Fishing Prevention Steering Committee restructured its operations, assigning clear responsibilities and establishing task forces to resolve outstanding cases of disconnection of vessel monitoring systems (VMSs) in 2024 and 2025.

"Through targeted enforcement, we have seen a significant improvement in fishermen's awareness. The number of vessels losing connection has fallen sharply compared with the same period last year," Na said.

Phạm Thị Na, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Agriculture and Environment, reports on the outcomes of anti-IUU fishing efforts in the first half of 2026.

Between January and June 5, the monitoring system flagged only 86 vessels showing signs of connection loss, down 70 per cent from 254 boats in the same period of 2025.

The city has also stepped up licensing and monitoring efforts.

A total of 4,283 vessels, or 96.36 per cent of the city's fleet, have been granted fishing licences.

Vessels lacking registration, safety certificates, and fishing licenses—commonly known as 'unregistered and unpermitted' boats—have been fitted with GPS trackers to monitor their docking locations.

Fishing ports and border guard stations inspected 15,869 vessel arrivals and departures through the electronic catch documentation and traceability system.

More than 47,189 tonnes of seafood were unloaded at local ports in the first half of the year.

Challenges remain, nevertheless.

Colonel Nguyễn Đức Hiếu, deputy commander for legal affairs at the Việt Nam Coast Guard Region No 3 Command, said declining marine resources pushed fishermen further out into sea where catches were more abundant.

"Violations have also become more sophisticated."

Some fishermen intentionally switch off their VMS units for five to 10 hours to fish illegally in foreign waters, making real-time enforcement more difficult.

Others swap VMS devices between vessels or exploit loopholes involving boats under 15 metres in length, which are not legally required to install VMS equipment but still operate offshore.

Data synchronisation issues between the VMS and port management systems slow the verification process when offending vessels dock in other provinces.

The HCM City People’s Committee and relevant units sign agreements for coordination to combat IUU fishing.

Bùi Minh Thạnh, vice chairman of the city People's Committee, said combating IUU fishing should not be viewed as a temporary measure to satisfy EC inspections, but as a long-term task to ensure sustainable fisheries.

"The city's IUU Steering Committee needs to address the root causes rather than simply deal with the symptoms. We must clearly identify why VMS disconnections occur and implement long-term solutions."

The city will enforce strict traceability requirements for all catches, monitoring fishing vessels from departure to docking.

Authorities will refuse to certify the origin of seafood from vessels found violating IUU regulations, preventing their catches from entering processing and export supply chains.

The city will expand data-sharing and cooperation with the Coast Guard and Border Guard forces to strengthen joint surveillance at sea.

To strengthen inter-agency cooperation, the city People's Committee re-signed coordination agreements with Coast Guard region nos. 3 and 4 and signed one with Border Guard Air-Sea Squadron 18.

The city aims to maintain its record of zero foreign-water violations and contribute to national efforts to secure the removal of the EC's "yellow card." — VNS