Thuan Nam aims for sustainable fisheries development

Thuan Nam district has a 38km long coastline, with fishing ports and wharves to develop seafood exploitation. In recent years, the locality has mobilized fishermen to invest in converting and upgrading large-capacity vessels, equipping them with modern means to serve offshore exploitation and fishing, improving the lives of fishermen.

Toan Thuan Nam has 914 operating vessels, with a total capacity of 246,000 horsepower, of which 432 vessels are 15 meters or longer, operating offshore. To exploit the potential advantages of the marine economy, in recent years, the district has focused on mobilizing fishermen to convert and upgrade their vessels; coordinating with the fisheries sector to open training courses for hundreds of fishermen, helping fishermen improve their skills and have legal conditions in practicing KTHS; mobilizing fishermen to apply scientific and technical advances and equip modern equipment to go offshore to catch seafood. The district also mobilizes fishermen to replicate effective fishing models combining KTHS with expanding processing and logistics services, aiming to develop fisheries along the value chain in seafood exploitation and processing. In addition, it also mobilizes fishermen to establish 106 groups and teams to unite in fishing at sea to support each other in the KTHS process; Disseminate to fishermen about regulations on fishing at sea... Thereby, contributing to improving exploitation efficiency, increasing income for fishermen as well as affirming the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland. Thanks to the increasingly developed capacity of vessels, the annual seafood exploitation output of the district has increased quite well. In 2023, the exploitation output reached 83,488 tons of fish of all kinds; in the first 3 months of 2024 alone, the exploitation output reached 16,585 tons of fish of all kinds.

Fishermen in Ca Na commune (Thuan Nam) invest in large capacity boats to go offshore. Photo: V.Ny

Ca Na is a coastal commune of Thuan Nam district, with a favorable fishing port for developing seafood exploitation and processing. Currently, the whole commune has 317 boats with 74,183 CV, of which 80 boats are 15m or longer for offshore fishing. Mr. Nguyen Duy Lan, Vice Chairman of Ca Na Commune People's Committee, said: To help local fishermen go offshore KTHS, in recent years, the commune has mobilized fishermen to invest in building new, converting, upgrading large-capacity boats, equipping them with modern means for offshore exploitation and fishing; mobilized fishermen to establish 37 solidarity groups and teams and 1 fishing union operating in the same profession, in the same fishing grounds, supporting each other in activities at sea, participating in protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland. In addition, to protect aquatic resources and ensure the safety of fishermen during the process of KTHS at sea, the commune also coordinates with the border guard station to promote propaganda and mobilize fishing boat owners not to store explosives, explosive materials and destructive KTHS forms to protect aquatic resources. Thereby, contributing to improving exploitation efficiency and increasing income for fishermen.

After nearly 40 years of going offshore and practicing KTHS, Mr. Nguyen Van Minh, Lac Son 1 village, Ca Na commune, said: In the past, his family mainly fished near shore, although the catch was large, the economic value was not high, so the income was unstable. When there was a policy to support fishermen fishing in far-off waters, his family built two large-capacity boats and invested in modern equipment to go offshore to distant fishing grounds to catch seafood. Thanks to that, each trip caught about 5-6 tons of high-value seafood, so each year the family had a stable income of over 1.5 billion VND.

Seafood purchasing activities at Ca Na Fishing Port (Thuan Nam).

Fisherman Nguyen Xuan Sanh, Lac Son 1 village, Ca Na commune said: To make each offshore trip more effective, in addition to investing in large-capacity vessels, we also join solidarity groups and teams at sea to share information and support each other in finding fishing grounds and exploitation. Because each offshore fishing trip usually lasts 15 days, there needs to be solidarity and mutual support in exploitation as well as when incidents occur at sea. Thereby, helping fishermen feel secure in going offshore and protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Comrade Dinh Van Hoa, Vice Chairman of Thuan Nam District People's Committee said: In the coming time, the district will focus on building and developing modern fisheries for offshore exploitation with purse seine, seine, and line fishing; implementing marine economic development policies for fishermen; supporting fishermen to convert and upgrade large-capacity boats to go offshore; supporting fishing boat owners to invest in modern equipment, improving the capacity of high-value economic science and technology. Along with that, maintaining and improving the quality of solidarity groups and teams at sea, fishing unions and effective seafood exploitation models at sea; focusing on supporting fishermen in vocational training, developing high-quality human resources for production at sea; creating conditions for fishermen to borrow capital to invest in converting and upgrading large-capacity boats to go offshore, stick to the sea... Thereby, helping fishermen increase their income, contributing to the development of the local economy, protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Tien Manh

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