Protecting the fish resources

Faced with the threat of overfishing, since 2021, the Sustainable Development and Conservation Team for the Tilapia species in Ta Lang and Gian Bi villages (Hai Van ward) has been established to conserve and restore this species.

Mr. Dinh Van Nhu (far left) and members of the conservation team inspect Vung Bot stream. Photo: Provided by the team.

Mr. Dinh Van Nhu, Secretary of the Party Branch of Gian Bi village and the person in charge of the Conservation and Sustainable Development Team for the Nien fish, said: Nien fish has a delicious, sweet flavor, is not fishy, ​​has high nutritional value, and is sold at a price of 300,000 - 500,000 VND/kg.

Because of this value, the demand for catching snakehead fish has increased significantly in recent years, even leading to overfishing for commercial purposes. Instead of traditional methods such as nets, traps, bows, and arrows, people are now using electric shocks, explosives, and poison traps.

The local initiative to establish a conservation team is timely, not only aimed at protecting the snakehead fish but also contributing to preserving the unique cultural characteristics of the Co Tu people. This conservation team is also part of a project to strengthen community capacity in natural resource management and biodiversity protection in the Ba Na - Nui Chua Nature Reserve, which is part of the city's special-use forest.

The conservation team currently has 30 Katu ethnic minority members from the two villages of Ta Lang and Gian Bi. The male members are responsible for patrolling, monitoring, reporting illegal fishing activities, and notifying local authorities for handling. Meanwhile, the female members proactively educate the people not to fish during the breeding season.

Weekly, the conservation team conducts inspections as mandated by the commune's People's Committee at six key locations, including streams, rivers, and deep-water areas where the snakehead fish live. In addition, the team receives training in knowledge and skills from the GEF fund and is equipped with traditional fishing tools for each member.

“The Party branch also stipulated that Party members in the two villages must be the core force, pioneering in disseminating information within their families and spreading conservation awareness to the community. Thanks to these strict regulations, the snakehead fish have been significantly protected to date,” Mr. Nhu shared.

Bui Hoai Vu (36 years old), a member of the conservation team from Ta Lang village, said that in the past, the Co Tu people had a custom of only catching fish for religious ceremonies, food, or to treat honored guests, and absolutely not for trading.

The Vung Bot stream area, where the North and South rivers (from Hue and the former Quang Nam province) converge before flowing downstream to form the Cu De River, used to be a concentrated habitat for snakehead fish, but they are now becoming increasingly scarce.

Therefore, he joined the conservation team with the hope of contributing his small part to the conservation of the special fish species of the Co Tu people.

Mr. Tran Quang Vu, Head of the Economic , Infrastructure and Urban Planning Department of Hai Van Ward, said that mobilizing people and the community to work together to protect and sustainably develop the snakehead fish not only contributes to the conservation of this valuable species but also gradually promotes the cuisine of Hoa Bac, thereby attracting tourists and boosting local economic development.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/bao-ve-nguon-loi-ca-nien-3338080.html