Fishermen in Lâm Đồng Province prepare their gear before heading out to sea to catch seafood. — Photo baolamdong.vn

LÂM ĐỒNG — The central province of Lâm Đồng is accelerating measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, identifying this as a key political task to join Việt Nam's efforts to secure the removal of the European Commission's (EC) "yellow card" warning and build a more sustainable fisheries sector.

At a meeting of the provincial Steering Committee for Combating IUU Fishing on Friday, Nguyễn Văn Chiến, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment and deputy head of the committee, reviewed progress and set out key measures to address the EC's remaining recommendations by September 30.

He said the province has stepped up implementation of the EC's recommendations and directions from the Government and the Prime Minister by strengthening fleet management, tightening oversight of fishing activities, improving seafood traceability and enforcing tougher penalties for violations.

​Lâm Đồng has completed 14 of the 16 tasks assigned under the Prime Minister's directions and related documents, or 87.5 per cent of the total. The remaining two are progressing on schedule, with no overdue tasks.

Management of the fishing fleet has also improved. The province has registered all 8,176 fishing vessels and fully updated their records in the national fisheries database, achieving 100 per cent. The installation rate of voyage monitoring systems (VMS) on vessels measuring 15m or longer has reached 99.42 per cent, while 91.3 per cent hold valid fishing licences and more than 91.4 per cent have valid food safety certificates.

Between January and July, fishing ports handled 22,446 vessel arrivals and 23,569 departures, almost all through the electronic catch documentation and traceability (eCDT) system.

However, 954 vessels, accounting for 11.65 per cent of the fleet, remain ineligible for operation, largely because of expired inspection certificates, fishing licences or food safety certificates.

Lê Thế Phương, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phú Thủy ward, said managing these vessels remains difficult because many have changed hands without completing ownership transfer procedures, while others have been retired, sunk or dismantled, making verification challenging.

He warned that incomplete vessel data not only undermines fleet management but also increases the risk of fisheries violations.

The provincial Steering Committee has instructed departments, agencies and local authorities to implement a package of coordinated measures by September 30 to fully implement the EC's recommendations.

Top priorities include preventing fishing vessels from encroaching into foreign waters, strengthening inspections and imposing stricter penalties for IUU fishing offences.

Chiến called for closer monitoring of high-risk vessels, stricter management of ineligible boats, updated fisheries databases and a ban on port clearance for vessels that fail to meet operational requirements.

Border guard stations have been instructed to ensure all vessels entering and leaving ports are processed through the eCDT system, while fishing port authorities will continue strict inspections and monitor seafood landings.

Relevant agencies will also intensify joint patrols, inspections and violation handling to help Việt Nam achieve the early removal of the EC's "yellow card" warning. — VNA/VNS