The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has set up a centre responsible for forecasting fishing grounds as part of an effort to re-organise fishing activities towards sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources.

The Centre for Fishing Ground Forecast, an affiliate of the Research Institute for Marine Fisheries (RIMF), will carry out surveys and researches in order to build fishing ground forecasting models and update oceanographic data and fishery biology information.

The Hai Phong-based centre, which comes into operation from February, will provide forecasting information and up-to-date bulletins to meet the demand of MARD, the National Directorate of Fisheries, local fishery management authorities and fishermen.

The centre will also work on a project on marine fishing ground prediction which is expected to begin from 2014.-VNA