On May 5, the Long Hai Commune People's Committee held a strategic meeting to bolster measures against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy toward non-compliant fishing vessels.
The meeting was chaired by Nguyen Minh Tam, Vice Chairman of the Long Hai Commune People's Committee, with representatives from the Ho Chi Minh City Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance Department, Phuoc Tinh Border Guard Post, the Economic Bureau, Commune Police, and local military units.
According to a report by the Long Hai Commune Economic Bureau, as of May 4, 176 out of 1,220 local fishing vessels remain ineligible for operation. Notably, these 176 vessels have been equipped with vessel monitoring systems (VMS) to facilitate daily tracking of their positions and berthing coordinates.
Vice Chairman Nguyen Minh Tam underscored that combating IUU fishing is a core priority requiring synchronized action across the political system. He directed the Economic Bureau and the Phuoc Tinh Border Guard to maintain the "Morning Coffee with Fishermen" initiative while developing new educational models to raise awareness of maritime regulations.
Furthermore, authorities are tasked with strictly tracking VMS signals and ensuring all vessel data is reported to the IUU Steering Committee. The commune will increase patrols at spontaneous docking sites to prevent illegal offloading, requiring all catches to be brought to designated ports for traceability purposes.
The Long Hai People's Committee also requested local hamlets to intensify outreach to every fishing household. Simultaneously, the Phuoc Tinh Border Guard will tighten inspections to prohibit any unqualified vessels from setting sail, aiming to terminate all IUU fishing activities in the region.
