HCMC — HCMC will spend more than VND67 billion between 2026 and 2030 to support fishermen shifting away from environmentally intensive fishing.
The funding, approved by the municipal People’s Committee, will come from the local budget, preferential credit and the private sector. It will finance a fisheries job transition project across the city, reported the Vietnam News Agency.
The project aims to convert about 6% of the city’s fishing fleet, focusing on coastal and nearshore vessels and part of the offshore trawler fleet. These boats will be encouraged to switch to less environmentally damaging activities, including longlining, gillnetting, purse seining, trap fishing or fisheries logistics services.
For ageing trawlers that have reached the end of their depreciation period, the city will encourage voluntary decommissioning to gradually reduce fleet size in line with assigned catch quotas.
Under the plan, all small coastal trawlers targeting juvenile fish will be converted to longline fishing. In nearshore waters, half of the trawlers will shift to gillnets. Offshore, 20% of trawlers will be converted to gillnets, longlines, lift nets or trap-based fishing.
The project also includes social support measures. Most fishing workers are unskilled and rely mainly on offshore fishing for income. Job transitions are expected to affect thousands of fishing households.
To support livelihoods, the city plans to provide vocational training, technical courses, job placement support and temporary income assistance for about 1,700 workers. Spending on social welfare is estimated at more than VND15 billion.
Additional funding will support initial investments, including fishing gear purchases, vessel retrofitting, equipment and production materials. Total spending on job transition and social welfare is estimated at over VND67 billion.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the city currently has 4,475 fishing vessels. Of these, 207 are not eligible for operation and face a high risk of violating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing rules.
Trawling accounts for 25% of the fleet, followed by gillnets at 22% and longlines at 14%. Purse seining, trap fishing and fisheries logistics services each account for about 5%, while lift nets make up around 2%.
The department said the current structure remains unbalanced, with environmentally damaging methods still dominant.
Pham Thi Na, deputy director of the department, said the fisheries job transition was unavoidable to meet international integration requirements, restore marine resources and protect ecosystems. She said the project would require coordination among authorities and the support of fishing communities.
The city expects the plan to help build a more balanced fleet and promote responsible fishing, supporting sustainable marine economic development in the long term.
