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Seafood sector needs more docks
Underdeveloped infrastructure, inappropriate locations and poor management of fish docks are constraining the growth of the fishery industry, officials have said.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), more docks are needed to serve hundreds of thousands of fishing boats in the country.
Currently there are only 200 docks, many of which lack basic features such as traffic signs, shipyards, refrigerated spaces, fuel stations and fire hoses.
Even newly built docks that required large investment lack modern technology and design as well as support structures.
MARD plans to inspect the designs levels of investment in fish docks in the country, according to Chu Tien Vinh, head of MARD’s department of seafood exploitation and protection.
"Part of the recently-approved Government’s agriculture stimulus package will be spent on upgrading fish docks," he added.
The department was also considering which institutions should be charged with managing the docks.
At Ben Tre’s Ba Tri and Binh Thuan’s Phan Thiet docks, fishing boats are crammed into small spaces, delaying the unloading of the daily catch and affecting quality.
Some docks built without advance planning are poorly located, restricting boat access, such as the Ca Mau Dock in Ca Mau Province where boats have to travel 60km from the estuary.
Hygienic concerns have arisen over the proximity of Kien Giang’s Duong Dong Dock to residential areas, while the waste treatment system at Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s Cat Lo Dock is always overloaded.
Poor regulation
Part of the blame lies in the inefficient implementation of MARD’s management code for fish docks, resulting in ambiguous and overlapping responsibilities.
Ca Mau Dock is under the authority of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, while Binh Thuan’s Trieu Duong Dock is under the Department of Traffic and Transportation.
Yet, other docks are managed by the district people’s committees, while some belong to businesses, such as the Ha Long Dock which is operated by Ha Long Seafood Company.
Implementation of regulations at the docks are weak, without clear penalties to deter violations such as theft and waste disposal in waterways, among others.
VietNamNet, vietnamnews
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