According to the Ministry's report, the fisheries sector has made significant progress after ten years of implementing the "Strategy for Development of Vietnam's Fisheries to 2020" (Decision 1690/QD-TTg dated September 16, 2010) and seven years of implementing the "Development Master Plan for Vietnam's Fisheries Development to 2020, with a Vision to 2030" (Decision 1445/QD-TTg dated August 16, 2013). The overall amount of seafood produced was 8,4 million tons, with an export turnover of $8.38 billion dollars. The total number of fishing boats was reduced to 94,572. This result has helped to ensure food security, protect sea and island sovereignty, and create jobs for nearly 800,000 people working at sea and nearly 4 million people working in logistics. The fishing community's material and spiritual well-being has increased, contributing significantly to poverty reduction, food security, and economic development.
Aside from the accomplishments, aquatic resource protection and exploitation are facing many challenges: Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU); the decline of fishery resources both in the sea and inland due to overfishing (overfishing); the mining industry structure is not suitable; the number of fishing vessels is large, especially those fishing in coastal waters with fishing gear that destroys resources, exploiting unseasonably, and post-harvest losses in fishing are high; fishing vessel safety equipment has not been ensured; The infrastructure and logistics services for fisheries are not synchronized.
Although attention was made to the protection and development of aquatic resources between 2010 and 2020, the outcomes did not meet the established targets. For marine fisheries, the progress of regional international economic integration is creating new opportunities and problems. The development of sustainable and responsible aquaculture is an unavoidable trend of the integration process. It can be seen that the fisheries sector is entering a new stage of development in the context of a complicated global situation; the security and political situation in the world and in the East Sea remains unstable; the global COVID-19 epidemic and the industrial revolution 4.0 have had a significant impact on the development orientation of the protection and exploitation of aquatic resources in Vietnam in the new period.
The Fisheries Law 2017 and its related documents have developed development orientations and created a legal basis for the development of Vietnam's fisheries industry, as well as the protection and sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources, which contribute to socioeconomic stability. In order to protect, conserve, restore, and develop aquatic resources, a "Planning for the conservation and exploitation of aquatic resources for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050" is required in the current conditions. Seafood; effectively and sustainably utilize fisheries products in accordance with international integration requirements in connection with the protection of national sovereignty, national defense, and security in the seas and islands.
Through the aims and indicators determined for each planning period, each area, and each type of fishery, contributing to the future sustainable development of fisheries in line with the country's economic development, the development of countries in the region, and the development of the world. As a result, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is collecting public feedback on this draft through the Ministry's web page, which may be found at the following address: https://www.mard.gov.vn/VanBanLayYKien/Pages/lay-y-kien-du-thao-quy-hoach-bao-ve-va-khai-thac-nguon-loi-thuy-san-thoi--.aspx