According to the news report fishermen from the central province of Quang Ngai are reluctant to set out for sea even though the annual fishing season began early this month and promises a bountiful catch. The fishers are very much concerned over China’s enforcement of an annual moratorium on commercial sea fishing in certain areas of the Gulf of Tonkin, geographically situated between China and Vietnam.
It is reported that the Chinese coast guard as saying eight patrol ships would monitor 128,000 square kilometers of the East Sea, shared by the two countries, as part of a yearly tour of duty conducted since 2004. The patrol started in May and is intended to enforce a three-month ban on commercial fishing in China, as well as to protect Chinese fishermen, stop illegal fishing, and conserve fish stocks.
The action of Chinese authorities irks the local fishermen as they feel threatened by the foreign patrol. Local fishermen said that it is unsettling to encounter foreign ships because we have to run away to safety. They say they fear harassment at sea from the foreign patrol ships, and are thus staying home for the time being.
Le Van Chien, a fisherman from Da Nang City’s Thanh Khe District, says the fishing vessel of a man from Quang Ngai was attacked by a foreign boat around 10 days ago. He further informed that he was frustrated upon learning that China had banned fishing in certain areas in the Gulf of Tonkin that Vietnamese fishermen rely heavily on for their livelihood.
Nguyen Viet Thang, chairman of the Vietnam Fisheries Association, told that China should honor the international laws of the sea, and recognize Vietnam’s as well. He added that Vietnam’s fishermen should be allowed to fish on their sea. Chu Tien Vinh, head of the Bureau of Aquatic Resources and Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the bureau only considers China’s ban on fishing to be applicable in Chinese waters.
