Timely prevention of overfishing of sardines on the Red River and Luoc River

Sardines live in estuaries and brackish water estuaries, but during the breeding season they return to the Red River and Luoc River to lay eggs. However, over-exploitation in recent years has caused this specialty species to decline in number…

Sardines are sold a lot at Pho Hien market (Hung Yen city) — Sardines are sold a lot at Pho Hien market ( Hung Yen city)

Due to its location adjacent to the Red River, the people of Dong Ninh Commune (Khoai Chau) have a traditional profession of fishing. This activity takes place all year round but is most bustling in February - April (lunar calendar) when sardines return to the Red River to lay eggs. Currently, in the Dong Ninh ferry area, there are 5 - 6 fishing boats (including people from other provinces coming to exploit and fish).

Mr. Thanh, a fisherman at Dong Ninh ferry, said: Fishing all year round, but the highest income comes during the sardine catching season. This specialty is being purchased by traders for 30,000 - 50,000 VND/kg, and there is always a shortage of goods to sell. However, the output of sardine caught is decreasing rapidly. Before, I could catch about 10 - 20 kg of sardines per day, but now, I can only catch 3 - 5 kg per day, and there are very few large fish.

These days, at Vu Dien ferry terminal, Hoang Hanh commune (Hung Yen city), there are 15-17 fishing boats. Fishermen fish day and night, then bring their nets back to the ferry terminal to sell fish to traders twice a day, usually early in the morning and 1-2 pm .

Mr. Nguyen Van Dan in An Chau 2 village, Hoang Hanh commune said: I have been working in the fishing industry on the Red River for many years. The time to catch sardine is usually from the end of January to the end of April of the lunar calendar. The sardine season helps me earn an average income of several hundred thousand dong per day, and has more work during the off-season months. However, the fact that fishermen use small mesh nets with high density has caused the amount of fish caught each year to decrease. Big sardine in particular and other big fish in the river in general are increasingly rare...

During this time, it is easy to find sardines for sale in the seafood section at markets in the province. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuoi, a trader at Pho Hien market (Hung Yen city) said: I have been selling seafood from fishermen on the Red River for many years. "Each season has its own food", at this time I focus on sardines. Every day, I go to the Vu Dien ferry area to buy fish to sell at Pho Hien market. At peak times, there are days when I buy 500 kg of fish, sometimes not enough for customers.

Ms. Mao, a seafood trader at Hoi market, Hai Trieu commune (Tien Lu) said: In addition to the usual fish, during the sardine season, I also buy some to retail at 30,000 - 40,000 VND/kg. This is a natural, nutritious fish, only available once a year, and its price is "affordable", so it is popular with many people. Many people also buy it as gifts, process it into many dishes to store and eat throughout the year.

According to statistics from the Department of Fisheries (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development), on average, each year, people in the province catch about 500 - 600 tons of natural fish, of which sardines account for about 25 - 30% of the output. Because fish only appear seasonally and the consumption market is favorable, people have focused on overexploitation. It can be affirmed that during this period, all people who make a living on the river take full advantage of their time and mobilize all resources to exploit and catch sardines to gain profits for themselves! Overfishing is the main reason why the output of sardines has decreased by 10 - 20% each year.

In order to protect aquatic resources, including sardines, on February 21, 2024, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Official Dispatch No. 279/SNN-PTS on strengthening the protection and development of aquatic resources in the province. Accordingly, all forms of fishing and exploitation of aquatic resources on the Red River and Luoc River in Hung Yen province are strictly prohibited from March 1 to May 31 every year to protect the migration routes and spawning grounds of sardine, spotted sardine, and flower sardine.

Regarding the situation of sardine exploitation during the spawning season still occurring in many localities in the province, Mr. Vu Van Diep, Head of the Fisheries Department (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) said: In the past time, the functional sector has coordinated with localities and related units to strengthen propaganda and mobilize people to strictly implement regulations to protect and regenerate aquatic resources. However, due to the lack of awareness of people in protecting aquatic resources, while the supervision work of functional sectors is still limited, the "spawning ground" of sardine is under the management of many provinces... Up to this point, the province has not punished any cases of sardine exploitation violating fishing time.

To contribute to protecting and regenerating sardine resources, it is necessary to have the synchronous participation of functional agencies and local authorities, especially each person needs to raise awareness and responsibility in exploiting and protecting aquatic resources.

Duong Mien - Huong Giang

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