Đồng Tháp Province has intensified efforts to curb illegal fishing by strengthening vessel monitoring, law enforcement and seafood traceability.
The move aims to help secure the removal of the European Commission (EC) “yellow card” warning against Việt Nam’s seafood exports over illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province will continue implementing comprehensive measures in line with the Government’s directions and the EC’s recommendations, according to its Steering Committee for Combating IUU Fishing.
The focus will be on tightening the management of the fishing fleet to ensure that all vessels eligible to operate are registered, inspected, licensed for fishing, and equipped with vessel monitoring system (VMS) devices that remain connected in accordance with regulations.
The province will also tighten control over vessels entering and leaving ports, monitor seafood landings at ports and strengthen the verification and certification of seafood origin.
It will intensify patrols and inspections while strictly handling violations, particularly cases involving disconnected VMS devices, vessels crossing permitted maritime boundaries and illegal fishing activities.
It is also increasing public awareness campaigns to improve fishermen's understanding of and compliance with the law. High-risk fishing vessels are being closely monitored.
According to the steering committee, all active fishing vessels have been registered, inspected, licensed, marked for identification and managed in accordance with regulations.
The province has also placed fishing vessels that are not eligible to operate under strict management.
Every week, the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment updates the list of ineligible vessels, high-risk vessels and those with long-term VMS service interruptions so local authorities can monitor them.
Their mooring locations have been identified, records are maintained, regular inspections are carried out, and they are not allowed to fish.
To monitor fishing activities, relevant agencies maintain a 24/7 duty system to track signals from VMS devices. This enables them to promptly warn vessels that lose connection or show signs of crossing maritime boundaries.
The Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Border Guard and local authorities also work closely together to monitor vessels entering and leaving ports.
The province has two fishing ports – Mỹ Tho Fishing Port and Vàm Láng Fishing Port.
The fishing ports have received 3,408 vessel arrivals, with more than 20,243 tonnes of seafood landed, since the beginning of the year.
All landed seafood has been fully recorded in the electronic system to support traceability.
The province has continued to strictly implement procedures for verifying, certifying and tracing seafood origin.
It has not detected any seafood shipments exported to the European market that have violated IUU fishing regulations or required origin verification so far this year.
Law enforcement has also been strengthened. Authorities fined those responsible for 53 IUU-related violations, with total penalties of nearly VNĐ4 billion (US$152,000) in the first six months of the year.
During the period, no fishing vessels from the province have been found operating illegally in foreign waters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With less than two weeks to go, the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) will officially take place in Can Tho. Under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029 – Opportunities and Potential for Double-Digit Export Growth,” the Summit is organized by VASEP at a time when seafood businesses are facing rapid market shifts, changing buyer demand, trade policy changes and growing competitive pressure all at once.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 28, 2026, the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo opened in Qingdao, China. The expo takes place over three days from October 28 to 30, 2026. This is a prestigious specialized seafood exhibition organized annually by Sea Fare Exposition Inc.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the CPTPP bloc reached $7 million, marking a 51% year-on-year increase. The bloc rstands as the fourth-largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, trailing Brazil, the US, and Saudi Arabia.
(vasep.com.vn) VASEP has officially announced the program for Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026), featuring five in-depth sessions covering industry outlooks, trade barriers, buyer demand, the domestic market, and solutions to improve productivity and reduce costs across the seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.7 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 11% year on year. Although growth has been supported by China and several markets within the CPTPP, momentum is slowing as exports to the United States and the European Union decline. Tariff pressures, international competition, and raw material challenges are creating significant hurdles for exporters in the final months of the year.
(vasep.com.vn) Markets are changing faster, buyer requirements are becoming more demanding, and trade barriers are growing increasingly complex. In this environment, seafood businesses need more than an understanding of current market conditions. They need a longer-term perspective to answer a critical question: Where will growth opportunities come from in 2027–2029, and what should businesses do now to prepare? This is one of the key reasons why VASEP is organizing Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East reached US$113 million, up 7% year on year from the same period in 2025. Growth has become more pronounced in recent months. In August alone, exports to the region totaled US$20 million, an increase of 24%. This indicates that demand for Vietnamese pangasius in the Middle East is gradually recovering after a slowdown in March, although the pace of recovery varies across markets.
(vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports continued to grow strongly in 2026, while Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the market also recorded notable growth. However, behind these positive figures lie two distinct trends: Chinese consumption is growing more slowly than imports, and lobster accounts for a substantial share of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to China, making its product mix significantly different from those of Ecuador and India. Exporters therefore need to assess each segment carefully to understand the opportunities and risks.
(vasep.com.vn) Changing markets, shifting buyer demand, and increasingly complex trade barriers are raising a key question for Vietnam’s seafood industry: Where will the new growth opportunities lie in 2027–2029?
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As of the end of August 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the United States reached $21 million, representing a steep 48% year-over-year decline and accounting for 23% of the country's total tilapia export turnover. Frozen fillets accounted for 78% with the remainder consisting of whole frozen tilapia and frozen cuts.
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