Vietnam's Vinh Long Province Issues List of Prohibited Fishing Gear and Time-Limited Closed Areas, Covering Inshore, Offshore and Inland Waters

The People's Committee of Vinh Long Province, Vietnam, has issued a decision stipulating the list of prohibited fishing operations and gear, as well as the areas where fishing is prohibited during certain periods in inshore, offshore and inland waters, in order to unify the management of aquatic fishing activities within its jurisdiction. The decision was reported by Vietnam Fisheries Magazine on October 8, 2026.

According to the decision, the scope of regulation covers the list of prohibited fishing operations and gear in inshore, offshore and inland waters within Vinh Long Province's jurisdiction, as well as the list of aquatic areas where fishing is prohibited during certain periods; it applies to agencies, organizations and individuals involved in aquatic fishing activities.

Annex I attached to the decision stipulates that Vinh Long Province prohibits the use of trawl operations (except moi/ruốc trawls) and "lồng xếp"-type gear, which includes lờ dây, bát quái, dớn and lừ, in inshore and inland waters. For fishing operations combined with lighting, the province prohibits their use in inshore waters, except for hand-line squid fishing. Operations and gear such as đáy, xăm, chấn, xiệp, xịch, te and xẻo used in combination with engine-equipped vessels are likewise included in the prohibited list for inshore and inland waters. Operations using iron-framed bottom trawls combined with vessels, tow machines and blow pumps, such as cào lươn, cào nhuyễn thể and banh lông, are prohibited in inshore, offshore and inland waters.

In addition to the prohibited list, Vinh Long Province also specifies the minimum mesh sizes at the part of the gear where aquatic resources are concentrated for fishing gear. In marine waters, the minimum mesh size is 28 mm for trích gillnets; 90 mm for thu ngừ gillnets; 60 mm for mòi gillnets; 20 mm for vây, vó, mành, rút and rùng operated outside the cá cơm season; 18 mm for nò, sáo and quầng; and 10 mm for all types of nets catching cá cơm. For trawls operating in offshore waters, the minimum mesh size is set at 34 mm; for offshore lưới chụp and cage traps, it is 40 mm. In inland waters, the minimum mesh size is 18 mm for lưới vây; 18 mm for đăng, nò and sáo; 40 mm for lưới rê; 15 mm for cá linh gillnets; 20 mm for vó and rớ; and 15 mm for all types of chài.

The People's Committee of Vinh Long Province has also issued the list of areas where fishing is prohibited during certain periods. According to Annex II, the closed areas in the Sân Nghêu Đồn and Thạnh Phong areas are determined by the stipulated coordinate points. There are two closed periods per year in this area: from May 1 to July 30, and from November 1 to January 30 of the following year (according to the Gregorian calendar).

According to the decision, the Department of Agriculture and Environment is responsible for presiding over and, in coordination with agencies, units and localities, organizing publicity, dissemination, deployment, guidance and inspection of implementation; it is also responsible for summarizing and reporting, and for proposing handling recommendations to the Provincial People's Committee regarding difficulties and obstacles arising during implementation. The People's Committees of communes and wards are responsible for organizing publicity, dissemination and deployment of the decision within their management areas.