HCMC – Vietnam will need over VND9,000 billion for the protection and sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources, with the goal of developing a modern, competitive, and sustainable fishery sector in the region.
During a meeting of the Appraisal Council on July 18, which focused on the planning for the conservation and exploitation of aquatic resources from 2021 to 2030, with a vision toward 2050, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development presented a comprehensive roadmap for the fishery sector.
The country plans to establish 27 protected marine areas by 2030, covering a total water surface of 454,676 hectares. These areas will account for 0.454% of the country’s natural marine area.
The plan also includes the protection and effective management of aquatic resources in 149 areas in the territorial sea and 119 areas in internal waters. This will involve preserving breeding areas and areas where young aquatic animals gather.
Total seafood output is projected to reach 2.8 million tons by 2030. The fishery sector will comprise around 83,600 fishing boats and employ around 600,000 individuals.
In parallel, a comprehensive system of fishing ports and shelter areas for fishing boats will be developed step-by-step to provide better logistics services for the fishery sector.
According to the Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries, seafood exploitation in the first five months of this year totaled over 1.5 million tons, a 0.4% decline versus the same period last year.