HCMC – The central province of Binh Dinh is set to relocate all fishing boats anchoring or operating in the Quy Nhon City waters to the De Gi Lagoon in Phu Cat District to develop tourism.
The provincial People’s Committee yesterday, September 14, chaired a meeting to collect feedback from relevant agencies on the relocation plan.
According to data from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, more than 1,200 fishing boats are subject to the relocation, Dan Tri newspaper reported.
The central province looks to complete the relocation by 2025. After 2025, it will relocate the Quy Nhon fishing port to the My Thanh fishing port in Phu My District and move all fishing boats anchoring at other places in the Quy Nhon waters to the De Gi Lagoon.
However, the local authorities are dealing with a major problem. Most local residents are not supportive of the relocation.
According to Nguyen Phuong Nam, vice chairman of the Quy Nhon City People’s Committee, up to 93% of the 871 boat owners said no to the relocation request, as it would be difficult for them to seek business partners if they anchor their boats at a new site far from the current area.
The boat owners said nearly 800 boats are small-sized and less than 12 meters in length each and are used for only one- or two-day fishing trips. Therefore, the relocation would make their operations tougher.
Speaking at the meeting, a Department of Agriculture and Rural Development representative said this is a complicated issue, so the province should prioritize relocating boats from some hotspots first.
The representative suggested moving 124 fishing boats from the Quy Nhon fishing port and 196 others from the Phan Chu Trinh boat lock before considering the next move.
