FIS
By Natalia Real
May 23, 2012

Vietnam will concentrate on its offshore fishing operations for the next eight years to make certain the sustainable development of its fisheries resources, said Nguyen Qui Duong, deputy director of Centre of Fisheries Planning and Development. Further, the government will increase fish farms to 1.2 million ha, producing as much as 4.5 million tonnes of seafood per year and reaching an annual average growth rate of 5.2 per cent by 2020.

More than USD 95 million will go toward the offshore fishing plan and more funds may be injected later. Fishers will receive financial aid to increase the capacity of their vessels and employ new techniques for their offshore fishing activities, the Centre deputy director said this week.

Until the year 2020, the government anticipates having 25,000 vessels with a capacity of more than 90CV and 12,500 vessels with capacity of fewer than 20CV.

Moreover, the fisheries sector has also fixed a target of annual export revenues ranging from USD 7 billion to USD 7.5 billion, representing a rise of almost 7.5 per cent per year, and will give work to about 3.5 million Vietnamese residents, Tuoitrenews reports.

In addition, the Vietnamese Government is planning to set up a database system of offshore fisheries resources. Forecasts of fishing grounds will be sent to fishers to help them operate more efficiently as they harvest high-value animals such as codfish, tuna and cuttlefish, all of which are currently in high demand in the international markets and particularly in Europe, Japan and China, VNS reports.

Duong commented that anchorage areas and human resources in fishing management networks will all receive improvements.

Changes are being made so fishers can take on safe fishing activities and give up using explosives to catch fish; limiting shallow-water fishing activities will also serve to protect juvenile fish and seawater areas where fish lay their eggs.

Nguyen Ngoc Oai, head of the Department of Fisheries and Resources Protection, said post-harvest fish technology will receive funds that will lead to greater effectiveness for offshore fishing.

As fisheries resources are falling, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Development Vu Van Tam said, the aforementioned measures symbolize progress to ensure sustainable exploitation of the country’s fisheries resources.

Relatedly, he said, it is necessary to raise awareness among fishers regarding the depletion of fisheries resources, as these individuals play an important role in protecting the environment and its fauna.

Original source