PM vows punishment for falsifying IUU data
VOV.VN - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ordered tougher action against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and warned that officials who falsify or misreport data will face strict punishment, as the country seeks to have the European Commission (EC) lift its “yellow card” warning in 2025.
Speaking at the 25th meeting of the National Steering Committee on IUU Fishing on December 9, the PM stated that data integrity is crucial for the EC’s assessment and demanded accurate, sufficient and traceable information from all ministries and coastal localities.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MoAE), Vietnam has registered and updated information for 79,360 fishing boats in its national Vnfishbase database, and no Vietnamese vessels were detained overseas last week. Authorities said monitoring and enforcement have improved, including sanctions for vessels that lose vessel monitoring system (VMS) connection or cross maritime boundaries.
The PM instructed the MoAE to standardise datasets in line with EC recommendations and complete a comprehensive report by December 15, 2025, for online consultations with EU officials.
He assigned the Ministry of National Defence to continue patrolling overlapping waters with Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, and to strictly inspect vessel departures and arrivals, denying access to boats that lack mandatory registration or safety requirements.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was tasked with working with neighbouring countries to verify information on Vietnamese fishermen and vessels detained since 2024 that remain unconfirmed.
The government leader also ordered full control of fishing vessels entering and leaving ports and instructed agencies to maintain “accurate, complete, clean and live” data, ensuring inter-agency consistency.
“Whoever falsifies or manipulates data must be held accountable in accordance with the Party’s principles and state law, regardless of their position,” he said.
The Prime Minister commended Vietnam Television (VTV), Voice of Vietnam (VOV) and Vietnam News Agency (VNA) for their coverage, including content broadcast in foreign languages, which he said supports the government’s efforts and protects national credibility.
He called for stronger involvement from central and local authorities, stressing that the IUU crackdown is tied to “the reputation and honour of the nation.”
Vietnam takes firmer stance on IUU fishing as it targets sustainable fisheries
VOV.VN - Vietnam is taking strong action to address the root causes of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, including tightening fleet management, vessel monitoring, catch traceability and strict enforcement against violations.
