Fishermen catch young clam for breeding in Ca Mau province’s Ngoc Hien district (Photo: VNA) Ca Mau (VNA) - Authorities in thesouthernmost province of Ca Mau are working hard to protect aquatic species inan effort to regenerate them following a long bout of overfishing, andfishermen are strictly following restrictions imposed on them for this.
Many are only catching fish and aquatic speciesthat have reached the stipulated size, Do Chi Si, head of the FisherySub-department, said.
The sub-department releases a large number ofjuveniles of aquatic species into the sea every year.
The province has a coast of more than 254km,accounting for a third of the Mekong Delta’s coastline. It also has 240sq.km ofmangrove forests and alluvial grounds which are also habitats for aquaticspecies.
Therefore, fishing is one of the province’sstrengths, but aquatic resources have been dwindling because of overexploitation.
Now the province is also raising awareness amongfishermen of the need to protect marine resources.
Si said advocacy activities were regularlyorganised to educate fishermen in sustainability.
Huynh Van Trai, owner of a fishing boat in NgocHien district’s Tan An commune, said local authorities were focused onregenerating aquatic resources and regularly organise courses to educatefishermen on the issue.
After taking part in the training courses, heand other fishermen only catch fish of a minimum regulated size and use fishingnets that conform to regulations.
Nguyen Thanh Tuan of the Ngoc Hien District FisheriesExtension Station, said Tan An commune in coordination with the district’smarine authorities regularly inspected local fishing activities and found thatfishermen fully complied with the new regulations for protecting aquaticresources.
The province is installing black boxes onfishing vessels longer than 15 metres to record their route, speed and otherdata and provide support for search and rescue in case of accidents or naturaldisasters.
Around 1,500 of the province’s more than 4,000fishing vessels need to install the black box.
Many are only catching fish and aquatic speciesthat have reached the stipulated size, Do Chi Si, head of the FisherySub-department, said.
The sub-department releases a large number ofjuveniles of aquatic species into the sea every year.
The province has a coast of more than 254km,accounting for a third of the Mekong Delta’s coastline. It also has 240sq.km ofmangrove forests and alluvial grounds which are also habitats for aquaticspecies.
Therefore, fishing is one of the province’sstrengths, but aquatic resources have been dwindling because of overexploitation.
Now the province is also raising awareness amongfishermen of the need to protect marine resources.
Si said advocacy activities were regularlyorganised to educate fishermen in sustainability.
Huynh Van Trai, owner of a fishing boat in NgocHien district’s Tan An commune, said local authorities were focused onregenerating aquatic resources and regularly organise courses to educatefishermen on the issue.
After taking part in the training courses, heand other fishermen only catch fish of a minimum regulated size and use fishingnets that conform to regulations.
Nguyen Thanh Tuan of the Ngoc Hien District FisheriesExtension Station, said Tan An commune in coordination with the district’smarine authorities regularly inspected local fishing activities and found thatfishermen fully complied with the new regulations for protecting aquaticresources.
The province is installing black boxes onfishing vessels longer than 15 metres to record their route, speed and otherdata and provide support for search and rescue in case of accidents or naturaldisasters.
Around 1,500 of the province’s more than 4,000fishing vessels need to install the black box.
Si said 100 have already done it, adding theprovince is one of the first in the country to make this stipulation.
Ca Mau targets a catch of around 160,000 tonnesof fish and other creatures, including 10,000 tonnes of shrimp, annually by2020. Last year its fishermen caught more than 200,000 tonnes.-VNA
Ca Mau targets a catch of around 160,000 tonnesof fish and other creatures, including 10,000 tonnes of shrimp, annually by2020. Last year its fishermen caught more than 200,000 tonnes.-VNA
VNA
