Prime Minister Calls for Substantive Action Against IUU Fishing
	Nghe An Rolls Out Urgent Measures to Combat IUU Fishing

According to Nguyen Hoai Nam, in addition to internal disciplinary measures, in recent times VASEP has closely coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in reviewing, amending and improving legal documents related to IUU fishing prevention, with a view to strengthening deterrence and ensuring compliance throughout the entire seafood production and export chain.

“For cases where violations are detected, the first step VASEP takes is to report them to the competent authorities for handling in accordance with the law. At the same time, the violating enterprises will be expelled from VASEP, and information on the violations will be updated and published on the association’s system,” Nam emphasized.

Previously, on December 12, 2025, VASEP issued an official dispatch requesting its member enterprises to further strengthen strict compliance with IUU fishing regulations, working alongside the Government in efforts to have the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning lifted.

Enterprises violating IUU regulations will be expelled from VASEP. (Illustrative photo)

According to the official dispatch, VASEP requires enterprises to maintain and enhance IUU control throughout the entire process of raw material procurement, processing, and export of seafood to the European Union and other markets with equivalent requirements. Enterprises must fully inspect and verify information for each batch of incoming raw materials and each batch of finished products for export; under no circumstances may they purchase, receive, process, or export any seafood raw materials with verification linked to IUU violations.

Regarding the implementation of IUU fishing prevention, a report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment at the working session showed that in the most recent week, no Vietnamese fishing vessels were recorded as being detained by foreign authorities for violations related to fishing in foreign waters.

However, in the two years 2024 and 2025, a total of 92 Vietnamese fishing vessels committed violations and were detained by foreign forces. To date, 62 vessels have been fully handled, accounting for 67.39%, including 44 vessels subject to administrative penalties, 13 vessels subject to criminal handling, and 5 vessels determined not to be in violation as they were detained in overlapping waters; the remaining cases are continuing to be handled in accordance with regulations.

The report also noted that from 2024 to January 3, 2026, nationwide there were 20,409 fishing vessels recorded as losing vessel monitoring system connectivity for more than six hours, operating at sea for over ten days, or exceeding permitted fishing boundaries. Of these, 20,286 vessels have been handled, reaching a rate of 99.4%, including 4,205 vessels that were penalized and 16,081 vessels whose cases were closed without penalties. Currently, 123 fishing vessels are still undergoing re-verification of information in order to be handled in strict accordance with the law.

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