On the sidelines of the National Assembly, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan answered VnExpress about the policy of reducing the number of fishing vessels at sea.
- In drafting the Prime Minister's decision on planning for the protection and exploitation of aquatic resources for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development determined to reduce the number of fishing vessels, aiming at sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources at sea. Why does the Ministry have this policy, sir?
- In recent times, the Vietnamese seafood industry has achieved many successes. In 2022, the total seafood output reached more than 9 million tons, of which 3.86 million tons were exploited; 5.19 million tons were farmed; and the export turnover reached 11 billion USD. These results contributed to protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands, creating jobs for 800,000 direct workers at sea and 4 million workers in the accompanying logistics services.
However, we have long seen the decline in fish stocks in Vietnam's waters due to many reasons such as climate change, many pollutants being dumped into the ocean, and human overexploitation. Meanwhile, many fishermen still apply "destructive" fishing methods such as blasting or throwing fishing nets into the sea (ghost nets), injuring and killing many marine creatures.
If we continue to exploit seafood indiscriminately, we will not be able to avoid the law of depletion of marine resources. The more depleted the resources are, the more fishermen will be motivated to exploit more, because they fear that "the sea is about to run out of fish". The speed of exploitation will therefore be many times faster than the rate of reproduction and regeneration of seafood, so both big and small fish are caught.
In 2017, Vietnam was given a yellow card warning by the European Commission (EC) for failing to comply with the 2017 Regulation on Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU). This means that seafood exported to the EU will be subject to 100% control instead of random inspection, which means businesses will incur more costs. This situation raises an urgent need to restructure this industry.
We still need seafood products for consumption and export. Therefore, we advocate reducing exploitation and increasing aquaculture. Vietnam's aquaculture industry still has a lot of room but has long been neglected, focusing only on fishing while these two propositions are closely linked.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan. Photo: Giang Huy
- How will the roadmap to reduce the number of fishing vessels be implemented?
- The whole country currently has more than 90,000 fishing boats - a large number that few other countries have. This shows that our fishing industry is fragmented, small-scale, spontaneous, and needs to be restructured for more sustainable development.
However, reducing the number of fishing vessels requires a roadmap. First, we will issue recommendations, then strictly prohibit fishing in certain sea areas, such as coastal areas because this is where fish breed and grow. Protecting seafood resources in coastal areas is an urgent requirement.
I have been to many coastal areas, and the fishermen themselves shared that if they continue to exploit in this way, their descendants will have nothing to eat. That is, fishermen feel the consequences of the current backward and destructive exploitation, but do not know how to do other jobs besides the seafaring profession that their ancestors left behind. We need to create other economic spaces for fishermen to change their jobs.
We aim to have about 83,000 fishing vessels in Vietnam by 2030, although this number is still large.
- How will fishermen be supported to change their livelihoods when they no longer work at sea?
- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is developing a project to create livelihoods for fishermen who no longer work in the sea. We will compile statistics on groups that are exploiting in the sea areas that need to be preserved to prioritize their career transition. These people will be supported to switch to onshore and coastal aquaculture on a cooperative scale.
People will also be supported to switch to other jobs such as sea tourism. Localities will organize models, training, vocational training, and have support policies to help fishermen switch to suitable jobs. Businesses will be called upon to invest heavily in the converted industries so that people can participate with peace of mind.
Every fisherman who goes to sea has his family and livelihood behind him, not just himself. Therefore, the policy of reducing fishing vessels will be evaluated, thoroughly investigated sociologically, and comprehensively on the impacts to have appropriate policies. It is necessary to make people see that if they do not exploit seafood like in the past years, they will still have a job to ensure their livelihood. This new profession is more sustainable than the situation of fishermen wandering at sea with small boats, outdated technology, exploiting seafood resources in an exhaustive way but with poor preservation and processing quality, facing many risks of natural disasters.
Fishing boats at Ninh Chu port, Ninh Thuan. Photo: Ngoc Thanh
- After reducing the number, how will Vietnam restructure its fishing fleets at sea?
- We will reduce the number of fishing boats but focus on the quality of the fishing team. The number does not necessarily mean strength, but the quality is needed. We advocate the formation of fishing unions at sea, strong enough to withstand the elements when going to sea. Many rafts put together are always more solid than one fragile raft. Then, if there is a sudden problem at sea such as a dispute over fishing grounds, people will have the knowledge to adapt.
Recently, following the Prime Minister’s direction, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has begun negotiations with a number of neighboring countries, aiming at the goal of Vietnamese and neighboring fishing fleets cooperating in exploitation. This is for the benefit of countries sharing the same maritime space, creating mutually beneficial ties, thereby reducing conflicts at sea.
We are also considering calling for support for fishermen to build large boats with modern equipment for offshore fishing. Currently, the fishing technology of most fishermen is still primitive and backward, such as using ice to preserve fish on the boat, then moving it to the mainland for preliminary processing, resulting in a large loss of output. Meanwhile, many countries have built large fishing boats with freezers and preliminary processing technology right on the boat.
Vietnam needs to build strong fishing fleets with modern exploitation and processing technology.
Viet Tuan - Pham Chieu
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