Sophisticated violations
The exploitation of sea products by destructive means, especially the use of explosives, electrical impulse in Ha Tinh is considered a hot issue. Violators are more and more sophisticated to escape the functional force’s notice.
Mr. Nguyen Tong Thang, Deputy Director of Fisheries Department (Ha Tinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development), said that the violators hides electric shock devices, explosives in stone blocks, islands near the shore or under the bottom of the fishing vessel... to avoid inspection and control. When detecting patrol-boat of far-away functional forces, the violators throw illegal equipments into the sea, inform other violators to run away and flee, bringing difficulty to patrol force.
“The violative situation has increased since 2015 up to now, functional forces have detected and handled more than 60 violative cases. This destructive exploiting behavior is very harmful for coastal fisheries and affects the traditional legal exploitation of coastal people”, said Mr. Thang.
Although Ha Tinh has enhanced propagating and disseminating regulations on the ban of using electric shock devices and explosives to exploit sea products but some fishermen still deliberately violate for their short-term interest despite long-term consequences. In particular, many fishing vessels from other provinces have come for fishing and have operated more and more sophisticatedly and desperately. However, Ha Tinh has a long coastline of 137 kilometers and large fishing ground, while the functional forces are too small to regularly appear at the scene to handle violative cases promptly.
Drastic prevention
Facing with the above situation, currently the Fisheries Sub-department intensively coordinates with the border guards of the province and local authorities in coastal area to closely inspect and control fish ports, estuaries and creeks, to promptly detect acts of storing electrical shock devices, equipments, explosives and toxics on ships and boats entering the creek.
Thereby, 9 cases of violation have been detected and handled with 2 cases of trading, using explosives to exploit sea products; 17 electric shock devices and 5 kilograms of explosives have been confiscated...
However, the situation is still latent and occurs complicatedly in almost all coastal and riverside localities. To promptly prevent it, the province has issued Directive 11/CT-UBND on 06 July 2018 on the ban of using explosives, electric impulses, toxics, prohibited fishing gears and on the enhancement of protection, reproduction of sea products in the area.
Mr. Le Duc Nhan, Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that on 26 July 2018, the province set up a steering committee to strengthen the prompt management, inspection and control of the organizations and individuals violating fishery with explosives, electric shock devices and toxics...
The most important thing is to detect and handle from the “root”. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has coordinated closely with the border guards and police of the province and localities to enhance investigating and handling of organizations and individuals producing and trading explosives to exploit sea products. They have also arranged a force regularly patrolling and controlling vessels at sea and preventing, minimizing acts of violation against fishery law. Especially, signing commitment in the community of fishermen and writting contests on the fisheries law and related laws for fishermen and students are organized in the whole province.
TRAN HONG DUONG