NDO/VNA – The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang reported no illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) fishing cases in the last quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 thanks to drastic crackdowns.

According to Nguyen Quoc Truong, deputy head of the provincial fisheries sub-department, a series of anti-IUU measures have been implemented.

They include communication campaigns to raise awareness; intensified handling of suspicious fishing vessels; and coordinated investigations to tackle illegal fishing in foreign waters and illegal entries into Vietnam by sea, among others.

The province plans to further tighten its cooperation with central and local agencies to investigate, verify and strictly handle fishing vessels that violate foreign waters. Increasing communication is a vital part of the country’s efforts to remove of the “yellow card” imposed by the European Commission on Vietnamese seafood products.

At a teleconference with 28 coastal provinces and cities in July 2021, the national steering committee for anti-IUU fishing set the target of putting an end to violations of anti-IUU fishing rules in 2022.