Long-term planning to conserve and develop aquatic resources

On October 27, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien chaired a workshop to discuss the draft of the “2021–2030 Master Plan on protection and exploitation of aquatic resources, 2050 vision”.

Risks of critical reduction of aquatic resources

At the workshop, MARD Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that 12 out of 16 marine protected areas (MPAs) have been planned and put into operation, but this only accounts for 0.185% of the marine area.

Vietnam has also promulgated a list of 47 fishing-prohibited areas for a definite time, gradually putting the aquatic resource protection areas into operation, along with a development and management legal framework for the protection of aquatic resources.

The fisheries industry however still has to face many difficulties and challenges. The number and area of MPAs have not reached the set target. The number of fishing vessels has not been under control in accordance with the allowable capacity of the resources. Excessive exploitation using destructive fishing gear still occurs.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien emphasized that the goal of the “2021–2030 Master Plan on protection and exploitation of aquatic resources, 2050 vision” is to develop a specific set of indicators and index on the protection and exploitation of aquatic resources for each stage in the planning period. Fishing activities go in line with the protection, conservation, restoration and growth of aquatic resources as well as sustainable and responsible fisheries development. Achieving the above objectives will guarantee their efficiency.

During the preparation of the draft Master Plan, the MARD identified 10 priority investment projects. All projects aim to restore and regenerate aquatic resources; expand the MPA system; restore degraded coral reef and seagrass ecosystems; study and locate migration routes of some endangered, rare and valuable aquatic species; build aquatic products’ traceability data for trade and export.

The planning requires VND 15,000 billion

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, the total required capital for the planning is expected to be VND 15,000 billion. To be more specific, the budget from Central is VND 11,225 billion, the rest will be local budget and other capital sources. The capital sources will be allocated in two phases: more than VND 4,500 billion in the 2021 - 2025 period, and more than VND 10,400 billion in the 2026 - 2030 period.

According to Mr. Ngo Tat Thang, Deputy Director of Quang Ninh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, it is expected that Ha Long city will have a national-scale aquatic culture center including a fish market model.

Binh Thuan province also asked the planning drafting board at the workshop to update the current data of fishing vessels allowed to operate in the locality, otherwise the province will have many illegal fishing boats when this plan is approved.

Specifically, in the draft master plan, the number of fishing boats in Binh Thuan province is 6,267 (by 2020) and will be 5,560 ships by 2030 (a decrease of 11.3%). However, according to the reviewed data, the province currently has 7,545 boats, not including small fishing boats, small boats, basket boats, etc. ( roughly 5,000 boats). Thus, the difference with the planned data is already 1,300 boats.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien emphasized: At present, the conservation work’s achievement has yet up to expectation as the exploitation intensity of fleets in many localities remains too high. Localities need to consider reducing the fleet structure, both ensuring safety and efficiency, reducing post-exploitation losses.

Specify the coordinates and range of protected and fishing-prohibited areas

According to Ms. Vo Thi Thanh Van, Deputy Director of An Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, The draft for the “2021–2030 Master Plan on protection and exploitation of aquatic resources, 2050 vision” identified An Giang province with 3 areas (4 points) banned from fishing for a definite time. The areas belong to Phu Hoi commune (An Phu district), Nui Sap town and Tay Phu commune (Thoai Son district). Each fishing-prohibited point is clearly marked with location coordinates.

However, after the specialized department of An Giang province conducted a practical review, it was found that these coordinate points are located in the 3-crop rice production area and have dikes, so it is not possible to implement a definite ban on fishing in these areas.

An Giang province proposed that the consulting team consider checking and re-evaluating the coordinates of the location where fishing is prohibited for a definite time so that in the future the locality can properly implement the planning.