To promote the role of fishermen in preventing and combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the unit has successfully stood side by side and stayed connected with community to promote solidarity and law observance during fishing.
Currently, there are 604 fishing trawlers with over 7,000 laborers, including 375 trawlers with a length of 15m or more, working in the area. Most fishermen have strictly complied with regulations to join hands in removing the European Commission (E.C.)’s “yellow card.” However, some violations still occur due to short-term benefits.
Identifying fishermen as important “eyes and ears” in detecting and preventing violations, the Pho Quang Border Post coordinated with local authorities and the Management Board of My A Fishing Port to organize the signing of commitments not to violate IUU fishing regulations for 100% of vehicle owners.
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Officers of Pho Quang Border Post regularly grasp situation to disseminate information on IUU fishing prevention and control to fishermen. (Photo: bienphong.com.vn) |
Fisherman Nguyen Thanh Son, 49 years old, the owner of trawler QNg94857TS, held that recording fishing logs and reporting initially felt troublesome, but thanks to the dissemination by border guard officers, he and other locals understood that this is a responsibility to ensure Vietnamese seafood exports, contributing to the sustainable development of the fisheries sector.
Facing difficulties such as monitoring equipment failures, connection errors, or trawlers operating far from the locality, Pho Quang Border Post focused on building solidarity so that fishermen could supervise and encourage each other. Since the beginning of 2025, the unit has organized 16 dissemination programs for nearly 1,500 people, presented national flags and portraits of Uncle Ho, and completed the installation of vessel monitoring system (VMS) equipment for 100% of fishing trawlers with a length of 15m or more.
The key factor for success is mobilizing fishermen to directly participate in monitoring and detecting violations. The unit has consolidated and effectively maintained 15 self-management teams at sea with nearly 1,500 members. Thanks to information provided by fishermen, in 2025, the unit has handled 3 cases of violation by trawler owners with a fine of VND 6.5 million, and made recommendations to the Quang Ngai provincial Border Guard Command to sanction one violation case with a fine of VND 130 million.
Fisherman Nguyen Mat, 53 years old, the owner of trawler QNg94536TS, noted that before setting sail, they always remind each other to check VMS equipment, during fishing operations, they regularly encourage each other to strictly comply with regulations and ensure connection signals. For them, law observance means protecting long-term aquatic resources.
Translated by Minh Anh