66 years of Vietnam Fisheries Traditional Day (April 1, 1959 - April 1, 2025): Developing Nghe An's fisheries strongly

Accompanying and supporting fishermen to go offshore

Last year, despite many difficulties, Nghe An Fisheries industry contributed greatly to the country's agricultural, forestry and fishery export turnover reaching 62.5 billion USD, an increase of 18.7% compared to 2023. With increasingly deep international integration, expanding export space and markets, Vietnam strives to achieve and exceed the agricultural, forestry and fishery export turnover target of 64-65 billion USD in 2025.

The Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance presented the national flag to fishermen in Quynh Luu. Photo: Nguyen Hai

For Nghe An, seafood output in 2024 will reach 213,919 tons, an increase of 10.8% compared to the 2023 plan. In 2025, despite difficult weather conditions, fishermen in Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Nghi Loc districts, Hoang Mai town and Vinh city have actively gone offshore from the very beginning. Thanks to that, there have been dozens of fishing trips with a big catch of fish and squid, achieving high revenue... As of March 15, the total seafood output of the province is estimated at 44,682 tons, reaching 23.03% of the yearly plan.

Fishermen in Quynh Phuong (Hoang Mai Town) prepare fishing gear to go fishing. Photo: Nguyen Hai

To have the above favorable momentum, in addition to the efforts of fishermen to overcome difficulties, the support and companionship from the province's fisheries support policies are extremely important.

In addition to previous support policies, in 2024, the province supported 11 hydraulic winches for 11 trawlers. Realizing the effectiveness, in the first 3 months of 2025, 15 fishing boat owners in Quynh Luu district registered for the hydraulic winch support policy according to Resolution No. 18/2021/NQ-HDND of the Provincial People's Council.

Officials from the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Quynh Luu and the Fisheries Association of Phu Nghia commune support fishermen in re-registering their boats in the "3 no" category. Photo: Nguyen Hai

At the same time, in order to facilitate fishermen to participate in exploitation in distant waters, the province has provided financial support for 861 offshore fishing vessels in 2024. In the first 3 months of 2025, the province continued to support 49 vessels and adjusted information for 38 fishing vessels registered to participate in exploitation and exploitation services.

As of March 14, Nghe An had 871 fishing vessels eligible to participate in exploitation and seafood exploitation services in approved offshore areas, an increase of 1.16% over the previous year.

In addition, in order to encourage fishermen in difficult and risky circumstances, provincial agencies and the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Control connected with a number of units and businesses to promptly visit, encourage, present national flags and meaningful support gifts to help fishermen go offshore.

Giving gifts to fishermen with boats in Hoang Mai town facing difficulties and risks. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Mr. Mai Hong Phong - Head of the provincial Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Control assessed: In the context of many difficulties in the fishing industry, the above policies are a source of encouragement and timely support for people to go offshore; help people actively invest in fishing equipment; focus on exploiting seafood effectively, with high value and more sustainably.

Mr. Phan Tien Chuong - Director of Nghe An Port Management Board shared more: Thanks to maintaining inspections and reminders at the estuary, fishermen have gradually changed their habits, each time they enter and exit the estuary, they "go and report" more fully. Regarding the port, the declared seafood output is increasing, in 2024, the declared seafood output through the port reached 40% and strives to gradually increase to 50-60% by 2025.

Substantive fisheries management

Mr. Tran Xuan Hoc - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment said: One of the current requirements and tasks in fisheries management is to ensure management and law enforcement activities for fishing activities in accordance with the provisions of the 2017 Fisheries Law, resolutely combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) to soon remove the yellow card of the European Commission (EC).

The interdisciplinary inspection team set out to inspect the coast from the beginning of March 2025. Photo: Nguyen Hai

After nearly 7 years of implementing the EC yellow card removal recommendation, the Central Government has requested ministries, branches and localities to launch high-level campaigns to propagate, mobilize and patrol to handle IUU violations.

In Nghe An, in the past 2 years, in addition to the Directive of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee has issued many documents to strongly urge. Thanks to that, the situation of IUU fishing has changed, and the awareness of compliance of ship owners and fishermen has increased.

On the part of the functional forces, along with continuously organizing inspection teams, interdisciplinary teams, and working groups to inspect and supervise in order to rectify purchasing and processing activities on shore and organizing fishing at sea.

Fisheries inspectors discuss and persuade fishermen to violate regulations during inspection and record-keeping. Photo: Nguyen Hai

The representative of the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance said: In order to monitor and promptly detect IUU fishing activities, the Department of Agriculture and Environment issued Official Dispatch No. 423/SNNMT-TSKN dated March 19, 2025 with a list of vessels at risk of violation, requesting the People's Committees of districts, towns and Vinh city; People's Committees of coastal communes and wards to post the list of vessels at risk of violation at the village and hamlet cultural houses for people and authorities to monitor.

Comrade Nguyen Van De - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee visited the high-tech shrimp farming model in Dien Trung commune, Dien Chau district. Photo: Xuan Hoang

In the document, the industry also assigned units and localities to strengthen guidance and support for fishermen to supplement procedures for licensing or deregistration and report before March 31 to synthesize the report to the Provincial People's Committee. The Border Guard will resolutely not allow ships on the above list to go to sea or will impose heavy penalties after inspection at sea; localities must strengthen supervision to ensure that converted, repaired or shore-based ships do not go to sea to fish if they do not have enough procedures...

Check and complete procedures before leaving port; thereby monitoring and resolutely not allowing ships to go fishing if procedures are not complete or valid. Photo: Nguyen Hai

In order to continue to increase the rate of seafood unloaded at the port, the Provincial People's Committee has just issued Document No. 9121/UBND-NN dated March 21, 2025, assigning responsibilities to coastal departments, branches, and localities to monitor and count seafood output at the port.

According to this document, in addition to reporting on the volume of seafood unloaded at their ports, the four designated ports must also increase their monitoring and reporting on the volume of seafood unloaded at private fishing ports.

In the future, the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Control together with the port will establish a working group to organize training for purchasing agents, private fishing port owners, and ship owners in localities on how to record and count fishing vessel output and aquatic species each time they return to port. The statistical steps are also clear.

Every week, the Port Management Board or the People's Committees of localities will distribute the form to major purchasing agents at the port, then collect and compile it at the end of the week, update it into the system; periodically before the 15th of each month, report the output to the Department of Agriculture and Environment.

Fishermen of Nghi Thuy ward, Vinh city go out to sea to catch seafood. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mr. Mai Hong Phong - Head of the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance shared: In the first 3 months of 2025, Nghe An still had 200 ships/404 times losing VMS connection at sea for more than 6 hours, 1 ship/time losing VMS connection at sea for more than 10 days. Authorities at all levels and sectors are working with fishermen to remove difficulties and obstacles and accompany fishermen to operate effectively, protect the marine environment and protect aquatic resources.

AD Advertisement

Source: https://baonghean.vn/66-nam-ngay-truyen-thong-nghe-ca-viet-nam-1-4-1959-1-4-2025-phat-trien-nghe-ca-nghe-an-vung-manh-10294120.html