eCDT is a smartphone app shared by the Directorate of Fisheries, the Sub-Department of Fisheries, the Fishing Port Management Board, the Border Guard, export processing companies, fish warehouse owners, and fishermen.

Vu Duyen Hai, Head of the Fisheries Exploitation Division at the Directorate of Fisheries, says Vietnam has quickly applied eCDT at fishing ports.           

"This year, the EC changed the criteria for selecting localities for inspection. From now until the end of March, we will select a number of provinces and help them improve fishing management under the EC's recommendations. The Directorate of Fisheries wants to help localities resolve their problems. During EC inspections we will demonstrate that we have made real changes in Vietnam's fisheries management," said Hai.

The eCDT app provides simple, easy-to-understand functions for making declarations according to the regulations: declarations about fishing vessels leaving and entering ports, initial data about vessels and crew, catches (using an electronic diary), exploitation output, output at ports, loading and unloading receipts, fish purchases at ports, and certification of the origin of raw materials delivered to processing factories.

Tran Dinh Luan, Head of the Directorate of Fisheries, says that since the beginning of this year the agency has been holding classes to teach how to use the app.

"The Directorate provides guidance and hotlines to contact when anyone is having trouble using this software. We will work with the border guard force that monitors ships entering and leaving ports. They will help fishermen install the app, which simplifies the process of reporting exploited aquatic products." said Luan.

Created in 2017 and repeatedly updated, the eCDT app provides a new approach to state management of fishing to align it with international integration trends and requirements for transparency of seafood origins. This is part of Vietnam's efforts to implement the EC's recommendations and get the EC’s IUU yellow card lifted.