Da Nang city takes strong action against IUU fishing

From the beginning of the year until before the recent storm season, border guard units and law-enforcement forces managing fishing activities in Da Nang waters implemented comprehensive operational measures, closely coordinated with local authorities, and decisively ended IUU violations, especially illegal boundary-crossing into foreign waters.

In Official Dispatch No. 3767/UBND-SNNMT dated 12 November 2025, the Da Nang People’s Committee requested departments, agencies, and localities to strengthen monitoring and strict control of fishing vessels that do not meet operational conditions, in order to implement the Prime Minister’s directive on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Additionally, on 10 November, Fisheries Surveillance Team No. 3 organized an IUU prevention communication session for nearly 20 vessel owners at An Hòa fishing port (Dong Xuan Hamlet, Nui Thanh Commune).

According to the Da Nang Sub-department of Seas, Islands and Fisheries, as of August 2025 the city had completely resolved the status of 1,926 “three-no” fishing vessels (no registration, no inspection, no fishing license) and brought them under official management. The city currently has 4,142 fishing vessels measuring 6 meters or longer, of which 96.7% have been issued fishing licenses; 100% of vessels 15 meters or longer have installed vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and are closely tracked. From 2024 to November 2025, a total of 745 vessels were detected losing connection for 6 hours, losing connection for more than 10 days at sea, or crossing unauthorized fishing boundaries.

The city’s Border Guard has worked with party committees and local authorities to guide fishermen in reporting port departures and arrivals through the “Fishing Vessel Control” system and the VNeID application; promoted models such as “Mutual Support Vessel Teams,” “Self-managed Wharves,” and encouraged fishermen to operate lawfully at sea, contributing to safeguarding maritime sovereignty.

At the same time, units have intensified information gathering, created management dossiers for “high-risk” vessels likely to violate regulations, monitored 100% of fishing vessels via VMS, and strictly handled cases of switching off monitoring devices, transferring devices between vessels, or colluding in illegal fishing. Control checkpoints at river mouths, estuaries, open beaches, and islands will resolutely prohibit departures of vessels that do not meet requirements. All vessels entering and leaving fishing ports must undergo inspection and verification; violations will be strictly handled and publicly announced in the media.

The city’s Border Guard has also coordinated with the Police, the Sub-department of Seas, Islands and Fisheries, and the management boards of Tho Quang Port and Tam Quang Port to strictly inspect fishing vessels, ensure seafood traceability, and maintain compliance with Vietnamese law and international commitments, particularly the PSMA Agreement. The Border Guard Command of Da Nang also requires unit commanders in coastal and island areas to take responsibility for IUU prevention outcomes, with frequent inspections and timely corrections. Key areas such as Man Quang Bay, Da Nang Bay, An Hòa estuary, and Cửa Lở are staffed with 24/7 enforcement forces.