Fish processing is gradually being revived in Gio Linh District, Quang Tri province. (Source: VNA) Quang Tri (VNA/VNS) - Nearly two years after the 2016 Formosa toxicspill, fishermen in the coastal province of Quang Tri are slowly returning tothe sea or finding alternative livelihoods.
Having spent all his life on the water, NguyenTrung, a middle-aged fisherman of Hai Khe commune in Hai Lang district, hadnever thought that the only life he knew would be taken away.
The en masse fish deaths caused by theFormosa steel plant in April 2016 upended his family’s life overnight. From areasonably well-off family in the area, they struggled to make ends meet in thefollowing ten months.
Fortunately, by the end of 2016, throughthe district Farmer’s Union and Women Union, Trung was able to get apreferential loan of 60 million VND (2,640 USD) from the Quang Tri ProvinceBank for Social Policies (BSP) to repair his boat, buy new fishing tools andstart over again.
“Offshore fishing has picked up somepositive signs recently. The industry is gradually recovering although thecatch and seafood prices are not as good as they were before the tragedy.
“Each fishing trip, we can earn between 500,000VND to one million (22 – 44 USD). In the gloomiest period, thanks to the BSP,we got the motivation to pick ourselves up,” he told Viet Nam News.
The BSP’s preferential loans for coastalresidents have helped many people.
Pham Thi Xanh of Trung Giang commune, GioLinh district, borrowed 40 million VND (1,760 USD) to switch from extensiveshrimp farming to poultry breeding, and reclaim a marshy piece of land behindher house to grow spices. The new job gave her a steady income while waitingfor fisheries activities to recover after the incident.
From April 2016 to June 2017, the Quang Tribranch of BSP granted 4,072 loans to residents in 16 coastal communes,disbursing about 129 billion VND (5.7 million USD).
At present, the bank is advising people onshifting from fishing to sustainable farming models, apart from helpingfishermen upgrade fishing tools and vessels, restore fish cages and expand toother sectors.
Old skills, new vocations
Ho Xuan Duc, deputy chairman of the TrieuVan commune People’s Committee in Trieu Phong district, stressed thesignificance of agriculture as an alternative livelihood for the fishermen andtheir families.
He said the local economy had dependedheavily on the fishing industry and marine logistics services. Therefore, thedistrict authorities carried out studies to identify alternative livelihoodprojects based on people’s skills.
“In addition to intensive farming of rice,we encourage people to expand the area of plants grown on sandy soil, likeblack peas, cucumbers and bitter melons, apply intercropping techniques androtational cultivation for greater yield. So far, several farming models havebeen developed in the commune and they have started doing well,” he said.
Nguyen Trieu Thuong, head of the Trieu PhongPeople’s Committee, said authorities gave priority to people directly affectedby the incident, including fishermen and fisheries workers.
“We conducted vocational training courses,firstly, for fishermen. In localities with limited land, the courses focused onshipbuilding and repairs or mechanical work,” she said.
According to Duc, since the first quarterof 2017, 40 family-sized farms have been developed under the district’slivelihood stabilisation projects. The production value of each farm is about 2billion VND (88,000 USD) a year.
Le Quang Thao, Bui Thi Oanh in Sinh Thai Wardand Phan Thi Truc in Ward 9, Trieu Van commune, Trieu Phong district are amongother fishermen or women who have successfully switched into poultry and cattlefarming applying the VAC (garden – fish pond – poultry shed) and VACR (garden –fish pond – poultry shed – paddy field) models.
Besides the local authorities’ efforts,several fishermen have taken initiatives to stabilise their lives.
Phan Anh Trong, a resident of the coastaltown of Cua Viet in Gio Linh district, has developed the first canary farm inthe region and begun earning good profits.
Ho Thi Hang of Trieu Van commune in Trieu Phong district,said: “This year, I plan to expand the area of bitter melon and green-fleshedblack bean as the consumption of these vegetables has been growing fast oflate.” - VNA/VNS
VNA
