Kien Giang develops fisheries exploitation

Quang Trong Thao, Vice Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said Kien Giang currently offers fisheries logistics services and builds high-capacity fishing vessels for offshore fishing, particularly those with engines of more than 400 horsepower.

The province’s fisheries output rose from 311,000 tonnes in 2006 to 520,000 tonnes in 2016 and 268,000 tonnes in the first half this year, or half of the yearly target.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Mai Anh Nhin said before 1990, the province issued regulations on the management of fisheries resources exploitation and protection. In compliance with the Fisheries Law and the Vietnam Marine Strategy until 2020, the province has amended and supplemented such regulations many times.

At present, the province has embarked on a project to rearrange fisheries exploitation and production, a programme on fisheries protection and development until 2020, and built a major fisheries centre.

Kien Giang has approved the building and upgrade of 75 fishing vessels worth more than 671 billion VND (29.1 million USD), 21 of them have been put into operation.

Nhin said the province has partnered with Cambodia and Thailand to manage and tap fisheries resources, particularly migratory species with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre.

With the support of Japan, Kien Giang is developing high-tech fishing vessel fleets, fishing port, modern fishing markets and several infrastructure.

In order to fully develop marine-based economy, the locality plans to step up offshore fishing, fishing logistics services and infrastructure in combination with ensuring national defence-security.

Between now and 2020, further attention will be paid to increasing high-capacity fishing vessels and scaling down low-capacity ones used for inshore fishing.

At the same time, Kien Giang revised and supplemented planning for disaster-proof wharves until 2020 with orientations to 2030. As scheduled, 23 fishing ports and wharves will be put into operation in Chau Thanh, Phu Quoc, Kien Hai, Kien Luong, Hon Dat, An Minh, An Bien and Ha Tien township.

According to Nhin, the province will extend external work to attract more investment in the field, and suggest the State provide support for infrastructure construction on populated islands as well as search and rescue and patrol equipment.

Source: VNA