Quang Tri to Convert 771 Fishing Vessels for Sustainable Fishing

	Vinh Long Reviews All Fishing Vessels, Tightens IUU Control
	An Giang Steps Up IUU Crackdown, Pursues Violating Fishing Vessels to the End

The Quang Tri Provincial People’s Committee has issued a plan to implement the Project on “Converting Certain Fisheries That Affect Marine Resources and the Ecological Environment” in the province for the 2026-2030 period, with a vision to 2045. The plan aims to gradually restructure the fishing fleet toward a sustainable and environmentally friendly direction.

Under the plan, in the 2027-2030 period, the province targets converting 771 fishing vessels engaged in fisheries that negatively affect resources and the environment to less harmful fishing activities. Specifically, this includes converting 500 vessels operating in nearshore waters (6-12 meters); 86 vessels operating in coastal waters (12-15 meters); and 85 vessels operating offshore (15 meters and above), as well as decommissioning about 100 vessels.

The functional forces of Quang Tri province sealed and posted notice boards on fishing vessels that are not eligible for operation. (Photo: People’s Newspaper)

By 2045, the province aims to complete the conversion of fishing vessels whose activities affect marine resources, the environment, and marine ecosystems, thereby contributing to the protection of aquatic resources, improving the effectiveness of fishing fleet management, and stabilizing fishermen’s livelihoods.

The project’s objective is to convert fishing methods that have a major impact on aquatic resources, the environment, and ecosystems to more environmentally friendly and sustainable methods; at the same time, to shift a portion of fishing vessels to other sectors in order to gradually rebalance fishing capacity in line with resource stocks. Through this, the productivity, quality, and operational efficiency of the fishing fleet will be improved, ensuring that 100% of fishermen who change occupations have jobs and stable incomes, while contributing to the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

To implement the project, Quang Tri province will review and classify fishing vessels engaged in trawling and tuna gillnet fishing by vessel age, size, and operational capacity in order to reduce or convert them to other occupations according to a roadmap. At the same time, the province will review, classify, and compile the decommissioning needs of vessel owners operating in nearshore waters who wish to convert to environmentally friendly fishing methods or to other non-fishing sectors.

Quang Tri province will also not issue approval documents for the purchase of fishing vessels from outside the province for trawlers and tuna gillnet vessels, except in cases where vessel owners commit to converting to other fishing methods. For vessels that have registered for gear modification, approval will only be granted if they convert to other fishing methods, and they will not be allowed to continue trawling or tuna gillnet fishing.

Functional forces will strengthen control over fishing license quotas for vessel groups, strictly handle cases of fishing vessels operating without licenses or not in accordance with license conditions, and closely monitor catch volumes to protect aquatic resources. The province will proactively review and reduce fleets engaged in fishing methods that have a major impact on resources and the ecological environment beyond those specified in the plan, while developing occupation-conversion projects suitable to the realities of each locality.

According to statistics, Quang Tri province currently has 4,664 fishing vessels, including 2,969 vessels measuring 6–12 meters operating in nearshore waters; 345 vessels measuring from 12 meters to under 15 meters operating in coastal waters; and 1,350 vessels measuring 15 meters and above operating offshore. The proportion of vessels engaged in fishing methods that may affect marine resources and the environment, such as trawling and gillnets, accounts for as much as 55.6%. The structure and number of small vessels operating in nearshore waters account for up to 71%.

Fishermen Confident to Set Sail under Border Guard Law Thanks to efforts by border guards to popularize legal documents, especially the Border Guard Law, fishermen in general and those in the northern province of ...

Ninh Binh Implements Comprehensive Measures to Control Fishing Vessels and Prevent IUU Fishing In accordance with the directives of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment during the peak month of combating illegal, unreported, and ...