Numerous supports proposed for pollution-affected fishermen
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has actively advised the Government on policies to restore the environment in four central provinces affected by the recent environmental crisis and help local fishermen to settle their lives in the long term.
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According to MARD Deputy Minister Vu Van Tam, the ministry has proposed that owners of under 90CV fishing boats will be supported to upgrade their boats or build new ones as stated in decree 67/2014/ND-CP on aquaculture development policies as well as the decree on the amendments and supplementations to some articles of Decree 67.
It also suggested that the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs design policies on vocational training to fishermen, while assisting them to work abroad, he said.
In order to recover the environment, the ministry will propose a project to restore coral reefs as well as the ecosystems in the affected waters, he said, adding that the ministry will also advise the employment of local fishermen in the project.
At the same time, it also suggested the expansion of the rice support programme to six months for both fishermen and salt workers. Meanwhile, seafood stockpile policies will be prolonged by one month to last from May 5 to July 5, the deputy minister said.
The mass fish deaths along beaches in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue in early April, which caused by poison in untreated wastewater from Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Limited Company, seriously disturbed the fishing activities of locals.
According to the MARD, aquacultural farms reported 67 tonnes of dead fish while the volume of natural fish found dead was estimated at 100 tonnes.
Statistics showed that Ha Tinh’s total seafood output in the first six months of this year was down 16,000 tonnes year on year, while Quang Binh suffered a drop of 23,600 tonnes, Quang Tri 16,000 tonnes and Thua Thien-Hue 13,300 tonnes.
