Minister Le Minh Hoan: Utilizing information technology to connect fishing ports

The delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was accompanied by Mr. Ta Anh Tuan, Chairman of Phu Yen Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Le Tan Ho, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Nguyen Trong Tung, Director of the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and leaders from various departments and sectors within the province.

Adjusting management of the fishing profession with a focus on fishermen

The delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development conducted inspections with regards to the prevention of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities at Dong Tac fishing port in Tuy Hoa City. Accordingly, Minister Le Minh Hoan examined various aspects at the port including boat anchoring, storm sheltering, fishermen's livelihoods, fishing practices, and tuna processing.

Subsequently, the Minister visited and held discussions with the management board of the fishing port, the representative office for fisheries surveillance, and the offshore production teams operating at Hai Duong sea.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tri Phuong, Deputy Director of Phu Yen province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the local government has actively implemented the four recommendations made by the European Commission with the aim of lifting the "yellow card."

Regarding the management of fishing vessels, the majority of fishing vessels with a minimum length of 15 meters in the province have installed vessel monitoring systems for offshore operations. Additionally, the province is strictly implementing regulations on the traceability of seafood origin. Thanks to strict law enforcement, the province has imposed fines on 47 fishing vessels for a total of more than 800 million VND since the beginning of the year. Most notably, fishing vessels from Phu Yen province have not encroached on foreign waters since 2019.

Phu Yen province currently houses 5 fishing profession unions, 1 high-tech cooperative for tuna fishing, and 119 offshore fishing teams with the participation of nearly 1,000 vessels.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, a representative from the Hai Duong offshore production team, reported that his team was formed in 2018 with eleven members who were owners of longline tuna fishing vessels. All of the fishing vessels operated under a unified production plan, with the guidance of the team leader. In addition, the team members regularly supported each other in terms of fishing experience, resource sharing, and coordinated assignments, especially in times of emergencies at sea.

Regarding their contribution to lifting the "yellow card" from the EC, the team members have diligently followed legal regulations when fishing at sea and avoided encroaching on foreign waters.

Following these insights, Minister Le Minh Hoan stated that Vietnam's 2017 Law on Fisheries comprehensively incorporates every recommendations made by the EC. As a result, adherence to legal regulations will mitigate the majority of concerns regarding IUU fishing.

Furthermore, the Minister emphasized the need to raise awareness among the fishing community. Communication efforts, as the Prime Minister has highlighted, must underscore the collective responsibility for safeguarding and preserving Vietnam's seas, biodiversity, and marine resources for posterity, regardless of IUU fishing concerns.

Regarding fishing profession unions, the Minister stressed that due to a lack of coherent organization, a restructuring of the production model is necessary to ensure that all union members are closely connected, both at sea and on land. This effort involves fostering strong bonds between fishermen, vessel owners, the management of fishing ports, and local governments. Accordingly, the Minister emphasized the necessity of adjusting the management of the fishing profession with a focus on the fishing community.

However, the strict control of fishing vessels with limited resources requires connections between designated and non-designated fishing ports through information technology, as a complete modernization of all fishing ports may not be economically viable. During his visit, Minister Le Minh Hoan also presented gifts to the Hai Duong offshore production teams.

High tides affecting numerous households

After inspecting Dong Tac fishing port, Minister Le Minh Hoan visited the coastal erosion areas in the An My and An Chan communes within Tuy An District.

Mr. Lu Ngoc Lam, Deputy Director of Phu Yen province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, explained that the coastal areas of An My and An Chan communes have recently received support from various central ministries and departments. As a result, approximately 586 meters of embankments were constructed to promptly address the impacts of natural disasters. On the other hand, the local residents have stable livelihoods and can confidently venture out to sea.

However, the remaining uninvested area of approximately 2,000 meters is vulnerable to the encroachment of high tides and large waves. These natural occurrences are eroding into residential areas, with several locations receding from the coast by 10 to 20 meters. As a result, the tides and waves have caused significant damage as well as the collapse of several houses. This situation currently poses a continuous threat to the lives and properties of approximately 2,545 households residing within the vulnerable area.

Due to a lack of balanced financial resources, the immediate local response has been limited to raising awareness, setting up warning signs, and mobilizing the community to temporarily avoid accessing the eroded and hazardous areas.

Given the constraints of the provincial budget, Mr. Ta Anh Tuan has proposed the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention to consider allocating financial support and urgently address the coastal erosion.