Sustainable livelihoods - a "shield" against IUU fishing

Together with coastal provinces and cities across the country in an effort to remove the EC's "yellow card", Quang Ninh province has recently mobilized the entire political system from the province to the grassroots, together with the people to seriously, fully and effectively implement the Central's directives on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. At the same time, the province has planned 45,000 hectares of water surface for aquaculture development, while supporting fishermen to change their occupation from fishing to aquaculture, aiming at sustainable marine economic development.

A typical example is Mr. Pham Van Son, a fisherman in Van Don Special Zone, who has been involved in seafood exploitation for many years. However, due to small and old fishing equipment, while coastal resources are increasingly declining, Mr. Son decided to switch to aquaculture in 2014 and together with his brothers, established a marine farming cooperative. That bold decision has opened up a new, more sustainable direction for his family and the local fishing community. Currently, his cooperative harvests about 1,000 tons of seafood each year, affirming the clear effectiveness of the process of converting livelihoods associated with developing a blue ocean economy .

Mr. Pham Van Son, Director of Dai Loc Cooperative, checks the quality of farmed oysters.

Mr. Pham Van Son, Director of Dai Loc Cooperative, Van Don Special Zone, shared: Previously, many members of the cooperative were engaged in fishing, but due to the increasingly narrowing fishing grounds, we decided to switch to aquaculture. Up to now, I have been involved in oyster farming for 11 years, and I find this direction very stable. If we know how to plan the water surface area properly, the oysters will grow well, become fat, and retain high commercial value. Currently, Dai Loc Cooperative has 21 members, all of whom raise oysters, with an annual harvest of nearly 200 tons.

The aquaculture area of ​​Dai Loc Cooperative is nearly 200 hectares.

For Quang Ninh province, the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has always been identified as a key task, demonstrating the locality's responsibility in implementing national commitments to the international community. Recognizing the importance of this task, the province has resolutely directed and synchronously deployed solutions, focusing on thoroughly handling existing problems and limitations, ensuring serious and effective implementation of the Central Government's directives.

An important content is to support fishermen to change their occupation from ineffective coastal fishing, which has a negative impact on aquatic resources and the environment, to more selective occupations, offshore fishing or to sustainable aquaculture. From 2018 to now, the whole province has successfully converted 766 fishing vessels, with about 2,240 workers, to new occupations. Notably, 372 households that used to do prohibited occupations have proactively switched to more friendly fishing occupations. In particular, the province prioritized 162 households using octagonal cage fishing gear to be supported in changing occupations, with a total budget of over 5.9 billion VND from the Central Farmers Support Fund, the province's resources and the Social Policy Bank. These practical policies not only help fishermen stabilize their livelihoods, but also contribute to protecting marine resources, towards sustainable fisheries development, associated with the goal of removing the EC's "yellow card" as soon as possible.

Quang Ninh province has planned 45,000 hectares of water surface for aquaculture development.

The whole province has about 200 fishing households switching to aquaculture. 448 ships have been built, upgraded and converted, of which 42 ships are supported with a loan interest rate of 6%/year, the total amount of interest support from 2016-2020   is over 6.9 billion VND, creating jobs for over 2,240 workers. Along with that, Quang Ninh province has planned 45,000 hectares of water surface to develop aquaculture and convert fishing to farming.

Many fishing boats in Quang Ninh have access to preferential loans to upgrade and ensure conditions for going offshore.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thin, Director of Van Hai Aquaculture Cooperative, shared: We, fishermen, as well as farmers, want to have stable and developed production, first of all, we must have water for farming. This issue has been closely concerned by the province. When the province and locality re-planned the farming area, our Cooperative was given priority to provide water in a timely manner, helping people feel secure in investing in production and stabilizing the crop season. Currently, the Cooperative has 57 members, all of whom have been provided with water surface area for farming. Of which, 7 members were previously engaged in fishing, but have now switched to aquaculture. Everyone is excited because they have been given conditions to have a stable position and feel secure in developing their long-term economy.

In a joint effort to remove the EC's "yellow card", along with issuing mechanisms and policies to support fishermen in changing their jobs, Quang Ninh province is continuing to review, arrange and restructure the fishing fleet in the direction of rapidly and sustainably reducing the inefficient coastal fishing fleet, encouraging fishermen to switch to marine aquaculture or participate in marine tourism services. This is a direction that both helps protect aquatic resources and ensures stable jobs and income for coastal residents, contributing to the development of responsible and sustainable fisheries in the province.

Hai Ha

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/sinh-ke-ben-vung-la-chan-chong-khai-thac-iuu-3384096.html