HCM CITY – The Khánh Hòa Province People’s Committee has approved a fisheries development plan for the period until 2025 focusing on modernising the sector.

The plan targets growing fisheries to 62-63 per cent of the south-central province’s agriculture by 2035, after rising to VNĐ10 trillion (US$439 million) by 2025 and VNĐ13 trillion ($558 million) by 2035.

But the development will not be at the cost of the environment or depletion of fisheries resources, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The plan envisages reducing fishing near shore and increase offshore fishing to improve quantity, quality and efficiency.

For this, the province will enlarge its off-shore fishing fleet from the current 1,365 boats to 1,780 by 2025 and 2,120 by 2035.

The plan targets to reduce the aquaculture area to around 3,575ha by 2020 through a 7.3 per cent reduction every year but increase investment in infrastructure and advanced techniques for better yields.

The province will focus on fostering marine species by releasing fry of endangered species into Nha Trang, Vân Phong and Cam Ranh bays and Nha Phu and Thủy Triều lagoons.

It will also establish marine and island preserves in Cam Ranh City, Ninh Hòa Town and Vạn Ninh and Cam Lâm districts and restore and protect the habitats of freshwater species.

Khánh Hòa has 385km of coastline and more than 200 islands with a diverse range of aquatic species, including lobsters, sweet snails and snout otter clams.

Its Nha Trang Bay marine reserve has more than 350 coral species, 70 kinds of crustaceans, 120 species of molluscs and 70 varieties of seaweed.    

Under the country’s fisheries development plan for this decade, Khánh Hòa is one of the country’s five largest fisheries hubs.

Its aquaculture exports are worth around $400 million a year. – VNS