With a coastline of over 3,260km, Vietnam’s
waters are home to over 2,000 marine species with annual total fishing capacity
of 2 million tons. Statistics showed that offshore and inshore fishing catches
grow by 5 percent annually on average, reaching an estimated 3.1 million tons
last year and 3 million tons in the first 11 months this year.
As of the end of 2016, the country
registered nearly 110,000 fishing vessels, including over 2,800 logistics
vessels and 31,000 ships with capacity of more than 90CV.
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Export of aquatic products has
increased strongly over recent years with an annual growth of 15.6 percent. Photo: baocongthuong.com.vn
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Aquaculture also saw rapid growth, with
total output rising to 3.6 million tons in 2016 from 3.5 million tons in 2015.
In the Jan-Nov period this year, the figure was more than 3.4 million tons,
contributing to poverty reduction and job creation.
Export of aquatic products has
increased strongly over recent years with an annual growth of 15.6 percent.
From 550 million USD in 1995, export value rose to 7.8 billion USD in 2014.
After declining to 6.7 billion USD in 2015, 7.05 billion USD in 2016 due to
market difficulties, the value topped 7.5 billion USD in the first 11 months
this year.
Vietnam currently ships aquatic products to
over 150 markets, with the main markets being the US,
Japan, China and the Republic of Korea.
The country’s participation in many
trade deals is expected to bring more opportunities for domestic aquatic
products and enhance their competitiveness thanks to incentives and
preferential tariff while domestic firms will improve manufacturing chain and
added value.
Under the master plan on Vietnam’s
fisheries sector to 2020 with vision to 2030, Vietnam will build six
large-scale fisheries centers in the northern port city of Hai Phong, the
central city of Da Nang and province of Khanh Hoa, the southern provinces of Ba
Ria - Vung Tau and Kien Giang, and the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, each of
them is closely associated with key fishing grounds.
Solutions proposed for the fisheries
sector’s sustainable development include investing in infrastructure and
fishing vessels, modernizing aquaculture techniques, and promoting mechanization
and automation in processing to improve export value.
Source: VNA