Ghost fishing

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has urged localities to adopt drastic measures to fight irregular, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. All Vietnamese fishermen, businesses, and local authorities must consider this an important and urgent task to affirm the prestige of Vietnam’s fisheries sector in the world and among countries it shares territorial waters with, and be resolved to meet the standards set by the European Commission (EC). Since the EC gave a “yellow card” warning to Vietnam’s fisheries and seafood in the European market in October 2017, the entire sector has suffered marked losses. Tran Dinh Luan, head of the ministry’s Directorate of Fisheries, said it is necessary to prevent, deter, and eliminate IUU fishing in order to remove the “yellow card” warning, develop fisheries responsibly, and integrate into the world. This is also the guideline of the Party and State, as reflected through the Law on Fisheries. Since the imposition of the EC warning, Vietnam’s fishery export value to Europe has fallen by between 6 and 10 percent annually. From being the second-largest importer of Vietnam’s seafood, with value representing 17-20 percent of Vietnam’s total export revenue, the EU now ranks fifth, after Japan, the US, the Republic of Korea (RoK), and ASEAN. The Government and the National Steering Committee on IUU Fishing Prevention have issued a range of documents instructing ministries, agencies, and People’s Committees in 28 coastal cities and provinces to drastically take preventive measures. The MARD has conducted regular inspections in localities. The EC has highly valued Vietnam’s political determination to implement its recommendations in this regard. Vietnam has openly and transparently announced the results of inspections of seafood exports to the EU and has completed a legal framework that serves as a foundation to materialise relevant …

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Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Kien Giang (VNA) - The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang aims to mobilise nearly 12.7 trillion VND (551 million USD) to develop marine aquaculture during the 2021-2030 period. Of the amount, the central budget will provide 0.16 percent and the local budget 0.85 percent, with the remainder coming from different economic sectors. The province will invest 11.93 trillion VND in fish cages at sea and mollusc breeding efforts. Investment sourced from State and local budgets, which totals 128 billion VND, will be used in building infrastructure, improving capacity in the sector, and supporting scientific-technological research on marine aquaculture. With investment from different economic sectors, Kien Giang will also upgrade its transport and electricity infrastructure. The province will seek and coordinate with foreign credit sources such as the Netherlands’ Aqua-Spark fund and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Its 2021-2030 marine aquaculture plan matches the country’s sustainable maritime economic development strategy to 2030 and vision towards 2045. Kien Giang has transformed small-scale, outdated marine aquaculture models into large-scale models, using cutting-edge technologies to move towards sustainability. By 2025, it is expected to have 7,500 farming cages, including 4,700 fish cages using traditional breeding methods and 1,900 using high technologies. By 2030, the figures are to be 14,000, 5,300, and 6,600, respectively. More than 47,680 workers are expected to be employed in the sector. To that end, apart from concerted land and water surface measures and policies and mechanisms in support of the sector, the province has also adopted solutions in human resources, product consumption, and logistics./. VNA …

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Samut Sakhon 's Central Shrimp Market, the epicentre of the second wave of COVID-19 in Thailand, reopens on March 1, after being closed 10 weeks ago. (Source: Bangkokpost) Bangkok (VNA) – The Central Shrimp Market in Thailand’s coastal province of Samut Sakhon – the epicentre of the country’s second COVID-19 wave – reopened on March 1 after being closed since December 19. The market was crowded with traders, buyers and migrant workers who must all strictly follow measures imposed to prevent the spread of the virus. Trucks delivering seafood to the market, and the vehicles of sellers and buyers, must all go through screening points. The temperatures of all occupants are checked and they must show proof they have been tested for COVID-19 . All migrant workers at all fish and shrimp piers must wear face masks and protective gear such as gloves, rubber boots and rubber aprons, in line with the standards set by the Public Health Ministry. Traders and owners of fish and shrimp stalls all expressed their delight when the market had finally reopened after being closed for over 10 weeks. The province's accumulated COVID-19 cases during the third wave rose to 16,377, of whom seven have died. On the same day, Thailand logged in 80 new COVID-19 infections, putting the national tally at 26,031, including 83 deaths. Thailand kicked off its COVID-19 inoculation campaign a day prior, with cabinet ministers, health officials and medical professionals among the first in the queue to receive vaccinations. The first doses of vaccine, developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech, were given to Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who is also the health minister, among others at an infectious diseases institute on the outskirts of Bangkok. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, 66, also attended the event, although his age falls outside the range of 18 to 59 suitable to receive Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine, so he did not get it. Thailand received its first …

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