Difficulties in managing offshore squid fishing and fishing fleets

Currently, Quang Nam province has 2,562 registered fishing vessels, of which 2,406 are licensed to exploit aquatic resources according to regulations, accounting for about 94%. There are 584 fishing vessels of 15 meters or more that have installed voyage monitoring equipment, reaching 99.7%, 2 vessels have not installed because their capacity is under 90 CV, not meeting the technical safety conditions for offshore exploitation.

Quang Nam province currently has more than 2,500 fishing vessels registered according to regulations. Photo: LK

Recently, thanks to the promotion of propaganda, fishing activities in Quang Nam province have had many positive changes. Local fishermen are increasingly aware of complying with regulations in fishing activities as well as carrying out procedures according to the Fisheries Law.

Fisherman Tran Van Mon (residing in Binh Minh commune, Thang Binh district, Quang Nam) - owner of fishing boat QNa 95579TS, who fishes for squid offshore, said that since the EC imposed a "yellow card" on seafood, the value of seafood caught has decreased significantly due to export congestion. Realizing this clearly, he really hopes that Quang Nam and the whole country will soon remove the "yellow card" on seafood so that exports can be stable and fish and squid can be priced well after each trip.

According to Mr. Mon, over the years, thanks to the dissemination of knowledge about fishing at sea, fishermen have strictly followed regulations, especially against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU). In the past, fishermen paid little attention to installing monitoring devices on fishing vessels, but now they always comply with regulations and ensure that the devices are always working throughout each fishing trip.

“In operating the voyage monitoring device, I am warned by the authorities when the squid fishing boat unfortunately approaches the waters of a neighboring country or a disputed sea area. I regularly record the time, coordinates, and daily squid fishing output to submit to the authorities when the boat returns to port. At the same time, before each trip, I go to the Quang Nam Fisheries Control Office to complete the export procedures according to regulations,” Mr. Mon confided.

Along with propaganda, Quang Nam province is also very determined in handling fishing vessels that violate permitted boundaries at sea or lose connection to the journey monitoring device during fishing activities as well as do not register or inspect. According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Quang Nam province, in 2024, the unit and the provincial Border Guard have administratively sanctioned 128 IUU violations with a total fine of more than 2.4 billion VND.

Offshore squid fishing vessels in Quang Nam province are at high risk of violating the fishing boundary. Photo: LK

Violations by fishermen include disconnecting the journey monitoring device; violating regulations on fishing areas, regulations on fishing licenses, fishing logs and reports, regulations on occupations and fishing gear, etc.

Currently, squid fishing and offshore squid fishing vessels are at high risk of being arrested and prosecuted by foreign authorities for violating fishing in foreign waters. This is the biggest difficulty for Quang Nam’s fisheries sector in accompanying the whole country in removing the “yellow card” for fisheries.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Vu, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Quang Nam province, said that the key task that the functional sector is implementing is to thoroughly handle 100% of fishing vessels that violate regulations on disconnecting journey monitoring devices and fishing vessels that exploit seafood beyond the border.

The Department assigned the fisheries sector to strictly check fishermen's seafood exploitation diaries, not accepting any memoirs; seriously confirming and certifying the traceability of exploited seafood on the electronic system (eCDT) to ensure transparency and legality in serving seafood processing for export.

"For a long time, coastal localities have neglected to monitor seafood exploitation output, but now we must focus on implementing it at private fishing ports and coastal areas," said Mr. Vu.

The People's Committee of Quang Nam province is directing departments, branches and localities to focus on seriously implementing the directions of the Secretariat, the Government, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment on urgently overcoming shortcomings and limitations, and implementing urgent tasks and solutions to remove the "yellow card" on fisheries.

Mr. Ho Quang Buu, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province, requested that all levels, sectors and localities should take drastic measures, strengthen propaganda and raise awareness about combating IUU fishing, especially Resolution 04 of the Supreme People's Court's Council of Judges guiding the application of a number of provisions of the Penal Code on criminal prosecution for acts related to illegal exploitation, trading and transportation of aquatic products.

“It is necessary to strictly handle fishing vessels that violate the boundary during fishing activities, frequently lose connection to monitoring the journey, and resolutely not let unqualified vessels go to sea. Along with that, it is necessary to speed up the completion of fishing infrastructure works, develop offshore aquaculture, and change jobs for fishermen. The Department of Agriculture and Environment advises the province on good practices in managing fishing vessels and combating IUU fishing,” Mr. Buu emphasized.

Source: https://nongnghiep.vn/kho-khan-trong-quan-ly-nhom-tau-cau-chup-muc-khoi-d744782.html