A representative of Solomon Islands' Registry Department inspects fishing boats in Quảng Ngãi Province that will be allowed to enter the islands' waters for fishing activities.  — PHOTO: baoquangngai.vn

QUẢNG NGÃI — Việt Nam will be allowed to take domestic fishing vessels to foreign waters in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu for fishing activities.

Phùng Đình Toàn, deputy director of Quãng Ngãi Province’s Fisheries Sub-Department, said last week that a representative of Solomon Islands' Registry Department had inspected nine local fishing boats recently. The boats included six from Quảng Ngãi Province, two from Bạc Liêu Province and one from HCM City.

Quảng Ngãi Province had the highest number because it has a large fleet with many local fishermen who have years of experience, Toàn said.

Võ Minh Hùng, Director-General of Hoàng Kim Việt Import and Export Investment Company, said that the company had obtained a business license from the governments of Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, and that it established subsidiaries operating in water exploitation and processing aquatic production there.

After the Solomon Islands' department confirmed that Vietnamese fishing boats were qualified to operate in their country, the Hoàng Kim Việt Company will help the fishermen get a visa, according to Hùng.

Each ship has about 15-17 fishermen who will work in the area for two years. The company expects that by the end of this year all procedures will be completed, Hùng added.

The new licenses are expected to open a new direction for the Vietnamese fisheries industry and benefit domestic businesses and fishermen amid depleting fish stocks locally.

Võ Văn Lựu, a fisherman from Quảng Ngãi Province, whose boat was selected to go to Solomon Islands, noted that aquatic resources were diminishing locally.

“When I heard about fishing abroad, I registered immediately. Five shipowners and I aimed to meet the criteria to go abroad for fishing, which will bring higher efficiency," Lựu said. – VNS