Dong Thap (VNA) – The People’s Committee of Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap is rolling out a plan to transform fishing practices that harm marine resources and ecosystems, as part of efforts to gradually restructure the local fishing fleet towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly model.
The plan aims to replace fishing activities that have a high impact on fish stocks, the environment and ecosystems with more sustainable vocations, while also redirecting part of the fleet to other sectors to rebalance fishing capacity in line with available resources. It is expected to ensure stable employment and income for all fishermen involved, thereby contributing to efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
On December 31, 2025, the provincial People’s Council rolled out Resolution No. 47/2025/NQ-HDND to help restructure the fisheries sector and support sustainable livelihoods. The resolution offers assistance to organisations and individuals in Dong Thap who own legally registered fishing vessels of six meters or longer, operate in high-impact fishing categories, and voluntarily stop fishing in line with regulations.
Total funding for the programme is estimated at more than 30.3 billion VND (about 1.16 million USD), including 27.9 billion VND allocated for vessel decommissioning and more than 2.4 billion VND to support vessel owners and crew members in vocational training and job placement.
Under the scheme, fishermen may receive support of up to 350 million VND per vessel as a cash payment after completing decommissioning procedures. The policy has been in effect from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2030.
Dong Thap currently has 1,523 fishing vessels, with around 9,590 workers directly engaged in fishing activities.
According to local authorities, the restructuring is essential to restoring fish stocks sustainably, stabilising fishermen’s incomes, and ensuring the sustainable development of the province’s fisheries sector./.
