Status of marine fisheries resources and capture fisheries in Vietnam

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Status of marine fisheries resources and capture
fisheries in Vietnam

• Dr. Dao Manh Son
• 
  Research Institute for Marine
  Fisheries (RIMF)
• Haiphong, Vietnam

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1. Introduction

• Vietnam locates in the Southeast Asia, with
• Coastline 3,260km
• Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) over 1 million km2
• The Fishery plays an important role in the
  socio-economics development of Vietnam
• provided about 40 animal protein in the
  Vietnamese diet,
• created jobs for totally over 4 million laborers
• contributed approximately 4 of Vietnams GDP in
  2004

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1. Introduction

• The total fisheries production in 2005
  3.4 million tons, where
• 1.8 million tons of marine capture
• 1.4 million tons of aquaculture
• The total export value in 2005 USD 2.6 billion
• The total number of motorized fishing boats was
  estimated at 90,000 units

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1. Introduction

• Within the last 10 years
• Total fisheries production increased about 2.6
  times
• Total export value increased approximately 4.0
  times
• Difficulties and challenges
• The capture fisheries is being mostly small-scale
• Ex - over 84 fishing boats of lt90Hp
• - fishing activities mainly take place in near
  shore areas.
• High fishing pressure, overexploitation and
  decline of the living resources.

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1. Introduction

• Development strategies
• strengthening the management of coastal fisheries
  
• reasonable development of the offshore fisheries

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2. Status of fisheries resources

• Diversity
• The total fish species gt2,000
• about 130 high economic species
• 70 of demersal and semi-demersal species
• 30 of pelagic fish species
• 1,600 crustacean species,
• 2,500 mollusc species,
• and various species of seaweed, sea birds and
  marine mammals such as marine turtles, dolphins,
  Dugong, etc.

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2. Status of fisheries resources

• The standing stock
• - Marine fish From 3.5 - 4.0 million tons
• - Marine shrimps 0.06 million tons
• - Squids 0.13 million tons
• The potential sustainable yield
• Marine fish 1.5 - 1.7 million tons

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2. Status of fisheries resources

• Some main target species in specific areas
• The Gulf of Tonkin
• Pony fish, sardines, threadfin porgy, round
  scads, hairtail, Spanish
• mackerels, snapper, lizardfish, threadfin bream,
  squid and cuttle-fish
• Central seawaters
• Skipjack tuna, frigate mackerel, yellow-fin tuna,
  big-eye tuna, Eastern
• little tuna, common dolphinfish, amberjack, eels,
  flying fish, hairtail,
• swordfish, shark and oceanic squid
• Southeast seawaters
• Leatherjacket, red bigeye, goatfish, lizardfish,
  Spanish mackerel, roud
• scads, grouper, threadfin bream, cuttle-fish,
  squid and octopus
• Southwest seawaters
• Frigate tuna, skipjack tuna, Indian mackerel,
  goatfish,
• anchovy, ponyfish, yellowstripe scad, squid,
  cuttle-fish and
• some other carangid species

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Fishing effort and catch rate

• Fishing fleet
• 1981 29,000 units
• 2003 83,000 units
• Rate 2,900units/year
• Figure 1. Increase of motorized fishing
  boats
• 
  in the period 1981-2003

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Fishing effort and catch rate

• Fishing effort Catch rate
• 1996 1,500,000 HP 1985 1.10 ton/Hp/year
• 2003 4,000,000 HP 2003 0.35 ton/Hp/year
• Figure 2. Fluctuation of total engine capacity of
  fishing boats
• and catch rate in the period 1981-2003

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3. Fisheries management

• Fisheries management has been considerably
  concerned by the government since the 1980
  decade. In detailed, there are list of some
  official documents regarding to this issue
• The April 25, 1989 Ordinance on Protection and
  Development of fisheries resources issued by the
  State Council.
• Decision No.415 TTg dated 10 August 1994
  regarding establishment of the organization of
  inspection and protection of fisheries resources.
• The Instructions No.01/1998/CT-TTg of the Prime
  Minister on Prohibition of using explosives,
  electric pulse, poisons in fishing.
• The Fisheries Law was approved by the National
  Assembly in 26 November 2003 and became effective
  as from 1 July 2004
• etc.

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Fisheries management

• Based on the above legal documents, the following
  regulations, decisions, circulars have been
  issued by the Ministry of Fisheries
• Circular No.04 TS/TT dated 30 August 1990 guiding
  the implementation of articles 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,
  13, 16, 24 of the Ordinance and Article 2 of
  Decree No.195-HDBT.
• Circular No.01 TS/TT dated 14 June 1991 on
  registration and issuance of licences related to
  fishery activities.
• Decision No.134 TS/QD dated 21 April 1992
  promulgating Temporary regulations for
  Inspectors of the fisheries resources
  protection.
• Decision No.211 TS/QD dated 17 June 1992 on
  technical management and safety checking of
  fishing facilities.
• etc...

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Fisheries management

• Following up the above legal documents, the
  National Directorate of Aquatic Resources
  Exploitation and Protection (NADAREP), Research
  Institutes and local Fisheries Departments
  carried out following activities
• - disseminating and raising public awareness for
  fisheries communities on protection of marine
  environment and fisheries resources,
• - issuance of fishing licences for domestic and
  foreign fishing vessels,

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Fisheries management

• - setting up ban areas and closed season to
  protect the spawning and nursery grounds,
• - establishment and consolidation of the marine
  protected areas system,
• - monitoring and controlling fisheries
  operations at sea and preventing pollution in
  aquatic habitats, etc

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Constraints in the fisheries management

• Regulation, policy
• The Government and Ministry of Fisheries paid
  much attention to promote the researches and
  fishing activities in offshore water areas aim to
  decrease the fishing pressure in near shore
  areas. However, the efficiency of this strategy
  is still limited.
• Presently, a numerous small fishing boats are
  still operating in the coastal areas. Until now
  there is not effective measurement to monitor and
  control these fishing fleets.

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Constraints in the fisheries management

• Protection of fisheries resources and aquatic
  environment
• Hard exploitations are frequently happened in all
  fishing grounds including spawning grounds, and
  nursery grounds.
• Destructive fishing methods (explosives, electric
  shock, Cyanide, push net, estuarine reef net,
  etc.) are widely observed along the country.
• Oil, daily waste from fishing boats, transporting
  vessels and fish landing sites are directly
  discharged into sea, increasing pollution for
  marine environment.

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Constraints in the fisheries management

• Organization of fishing and logistic service
• The fisheries sector is still backward in terms
  of fishing technique as well as preservation and
  processing. Moreover, the infrastructure such as
  fishing ports system is also poor and not
  adaptable for the sector required.

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4. Recommendation for management

• Instantaneously, strengthening the offshore
  fishing activities in co-operation with the
  management, protection and conservation of
  coastal fisheries resources
• - Reduce quickly the number of small fishing
  boats operated in the coastal waters.
• - Adjust the fisheries structure aim to be
  suitable the living marine resource capacity.
• - Limit and ban for destructive fishing
  procedures, such as push net, reef net. Fishing
  with explosives, electric shock, cyanide, and
  fishing in MPAs, etc. must be strictly forbidden.
• - It is recommended to use selective fishing
  methods, juvenile and turtle exclusive devices
  attached at the cod-end.

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4. Recommendation for management

• To increase the survey and assessment of
  fisheries resources dynamic, research on
  migration behaviour, relation between fish and
  aquatic environment, apply some advanced
  technologies in fishing and post-harvest
  preservation.
• To establish marine protected areas, prohibited
  or limited areas (spawning grounds, nursery
  grounds, etc.) To build up fisheries refugia,
  mangrove forest national parks, artificial coral
  reefs in order to protect the eco-environment,
  conserve and repopulate rare and valuable,
  endangered species.
• To consolidate and complete the nationwide system
  of fisheries statistics, make regulations of
  fishing logbook for fishing fleets operated in
  coastal and offshore areas.

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4. Recommendation for management

• To decentralise fisheries management, create
  legal grounds in long-term fisheries management
  for different types of fishing vessels and
  fishing gear and methods. To strictly enforce the
  Fisheries law, to apply FAO Code of Conduct for
  Responsible Fisheries in Vietnams situation.
• To increase co-operations with foreign countries
  and international organizations, to promote
  regional and international integration activities
  in order to take advantage of their supports in
  order to strength capacity of science and
  technology and management experience.

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The end

• Thank you!