A plan is being built by the Directorate of Fisheries with a view to promoting the conservation, development and sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources.

At a meeting to collect opinions on the planning on September 4, a representative of the directorate’s Department of Aquatic Resources Conservation and Development said the plan aims to protect, conserve, rehabilitate and develop fishery resources while ensuring efficient and sustainable exploitation, which is necessary to meet international requirements and support sovereignty safeguarding.

This plan will assess the current protection, conservation, rehabilitate, development and exploitation of aquatic resources; fishery logistics services; along with the situation of human resources in the field between 2010 and 2019. It will also set up concrete criteria for each aspect in certain periods.

According to the Research Institute for Marine Fisheries, Vietnam’s annual catch of aquatic products is about 3.4 – 3.6 million tonnes on average, higher than the sustainable exploitation level in relation to the country’s aquatic reserves.

Population growth, hydropower and irrigation development, and environmental pollution have adversely affected aquatic species’ migration routes while damaging their spawning grounds and habitat, leading to their degradation.

The Department of Aquatic Resources Conservation and Development said it has given exploitation quotas to 28 coastal provinces and cities. 

It noted illegal fishing in foreign waters by Vietnamese boats has been reduced considerably, the fisheries sector gradually modernised with more responsible practices, and fishing groups and cooperatives formed.

So far, Vietnam has established 10 marine reserves, namely Cat Ba, Bach Long Vy, Con Co, Cu Lao Cham, Ly Son, Nha Trang Bay, Nui Chua, Hon Cau, Con Dao, and Phu Quoc.

Thua Thien-Hue is the first locality in the country to have set up protection areas for aquatic resources in its coastal lagoon system. There are 23 such areas in the province with a combined area of over 614ha, accounting for nearly 3 percent of the total lagoon area.