Fishing monitored for seafood recovery

The recovery of marine ecosystem is a priority in the four central provinces that experienced mass pollution following toxic discharges from the Formosa steel plant. This will require the combined efforts of both authorities and local fishermen. Resources surveillance agencies have worked with seafood preservation authorities to raise awareness of governmental policies and patrol the sea, to make sure fishermen exploit resources at an acceptable rate.

This is off the coast of Quang Binh Province and the resource surveillance forces are working with local authorities to patrol and raise awareness of the law in terms of fishing activities. Many fishing boats from Quang Ngai Province were found to operate in restricted areas and use prohibited fishing equipment.

Contacting violating fishing boats used to be difficult for regional surveillance teams due to limited capacity of their ships. However, the central law enforcement authorities have recognised the issue and provided assistance, including promoting of the law.

Fishing in prohibited areas is common in the north central provinces from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien Hue, threatening the fish resource in near shore areas. Poor facilities have limited the operations of surveillance teams. In the coming time, central resources surveillance teams should co-operate with regional authorities to facilitate the recovery of the sea ecosystem.