BÌNH THUẬN — The People’s Committee of the south-central province of Bình Thuận on May 7 requested extra efforts to resolutely not let any local fishing vessels and fishermen violate foreign waters so as to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

In an official dispatch to relevant units, the committee asked border guard, fisheries and police forces, and local authorities to investigate, verify, clarify, and strictly handle ships that stay unconnected to the province's vessel monitoring system (VMS); and continue to closely monitor fishing vessels operating at sea through the VMS to keep them from surpassing the allowed sea boundaries.

The units were required to seriously implement the registration, registering, and issuance of fishing licenses to vessels according to regulations and fully update the national fishing vessel database VNFishbase.

Meanwhile, fishermen and businesses were guided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to implement electronic catch documentation and traceability (eCDT).

With over 7,800 fishing vessels and 44,500 labourers engaged directly in fishing activities, Bình Thuận is one of the leading localities nationwide in terms of fishing capacity and seafood output.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the locality has recorded positive results in preventing IUU fishing thanks to the serious implementation of urgent measures and the efforts of the entire political system.

Notably, since January 2023, no fishing vessels have been detected violating relevant regulations. VNS