Developing marine aquaculture in combination with tourism, why not?

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Huu Dung, Chairman of Vietnam Seaculture Association (VSA), assessed: "Khanh Hoa has favorable conditions to develop industrial marine aquaculture. Besides its suitable sea area, the province has initially implemented two industrial marine aquaculture models of Australis Company and the Research Institute for Aquaculture applying advanced technology and modern management methods."The province is also home to many scientific and technological research and application establishments (schools, institutes, centers) and many enterprises in seafood processing, tourism, shipbuilding, shipping, etc. Moreover, Khanh Hoa has a thriving tourism industry, so why not apply the model of marine farming combined with tourism.

The chairman of the VSA said our sea aquaculture now is still "shabby, backward and smelly", affecting the landscape beauty so cannot attract tourists. But if the marine aquaculture industry is modernly developed, ensuring aesthetic conditions and not affecting the environment, it will create more opportunities for the tourism industry.

He cited the United States as an example saying it is a country whose fisheries are not very developed, but its recreational fishery industry brings in an income of about US$82 billion per year. This is a figure published in 2020 but could be higher now.

“Why can't Khanh Hoa develop a tourism fishery, while this is an orientation that we can develop. It is absolutely possible to develop. We do not dream of $82 billion, but we dream of $82 million until we reach $8.2 billion,” suggested the VSA chairman.

Meanwhile, Mr. Le Tan Ban said that in Resolution 09-NQ/TW dated January 28, 2022 on building and developing Khanh Hoa province by 2030, with a vision to 2045, the Politburo identified one of the key tasks to strongly develop the marine economy in the direction of "farming, exploiting and processing seafood, especially high-tech and environmentally friendly marine farming".

At the same time, the provincial Party Committee's action plan on implementing Resolution 09 also affirms it is necessary to "build a high-tech marine aquaculture project in Khanh Hoa and propose mechanisms and policies to encourage and support businesses and people to invest in high-tech mariculture” so that to effectively improve the marine resource exploitation and comprehensively develop the sea economy.

Therefore, to promote the potential and advantages of rapidly developing Khanh Hoa marine aquaculture in the direction of high-tech sustainability, Mr. Ban said the province will build aquaculture zones in coastal areas in the direction of high-tech, safety, efficiency, sustainability, and protection of the ecological environment. At the same time, it will hand over sea surface area to local people according to Article 44, Law on Fisheries 2017.

Mr. Josh Goldman, representative of Australis Vietnam Seafood Co., Ltd. shared his experience in developing sustainable mariculture and plans to develop mariculture in combination with tourism in the future. According to him, the planning must include both land and sea zoning to ensure diversified and multi-sectoral development.

Priority should be given to creating a synergy of aquaculture industries combined with tourism and logistics services. It is possible to develop experiential tourism on floating trusses combined with aquaculture. In particular, a highlight of experiential tourism is that we can set up a center of cuisine, fishing, and entertainment to attract tourists.

For the open sea, Khanh Hoa appeals for experienced businesses to invest in industrial modern cage farming to increase the output; at the same time promoting research and application of science and technology in commercial farming. Priority should be given to raising fish with high economic value.