Increasing human populations and exploitation pressures, growing threats from pollution

and major ecosystem change are particular concerns to marine fisheries in Vietnam in

general and in KienGiang in particular. Also – as more widely in the global context – the nontargeted

capture of fish and non‐fish species (e.g. turtles, corals and other seabed fauna),

commonly called bycatch and discards, and are also of concern. This part of the catch tends to

be poorly monitored and unmanaged but could have an important impact on fishery

resources, habitats and ecosystems. In some fisheries and regions, there is an increasing

trend towards the retention of the bycatch consisting of juveniles and small‐sized fish for use

as food for human consumption or for utilization as aquaculture feed. This is therefore a

complex issue, requiring resource and biodiversity aspects to be tackled alongside human

needs and involving a mix of policy, technical and community support measures.

The project “Strategies for trawl fisheries bycatch management” (REBYC‐II CTI) was

conceived based on the successes of the 2002‐2008 FAO/UNEP/GEF global project

“Reduction of Environmental Impact from Tropical Shrimp Trawling through the

Introduction of Bycatch Reduction Technologies and Change of Management”. The REBYC‐II

CTI project focuses on multispecies bottom trawling, where by catch issues are amongst the

most serious, with potentially significant effects on ecosystems and livelihoods. The Project is

addressing these challenges by promoting sustainable fishing practices and improved

management of trawl fishing. The REBYC‐II CTI project was developed under the leadership

of FAO (the Project implementing agency) in close collaboration with its partners: Southeast

Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) and the governments of the participating

countries; Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. KienGiang

province was selected as a pilot site to implement the project in Vietnam.

Marine capture fisheries of Vietnam have developed strongly and have significantly

contributed to the socio‐economic development, food security and maritime sovereignty of

Vietnam. Over the past few years, in KienGiang Province, marine capture fisheries have

considerably increased and are contributing significantly to the economic development of the

Province. However, these increases have revealed many problems such as unsustainable

development, insufficient fisheries management, uncontrolled number of fishing boats and

fragmented small‐scale fishing operations. Illegal fishing has been occurring and is threating

marine resources sustainability, especially in the coastal areas. To overcome these

shortcomings there is a need to manage capture fisheries better andmaximize the efficiency

of using these resources whilst conserving the marine ecosystem. For this the development

the implementation of fishing capacity management mechanisms will be very important. It is

also recognized that the fishing capacity management tools such as various fishing gear

restrictions andclosedfishingseasons/areas will likely be the most relevant so that marine

fisheries can continue make significant contributions to socio‐economic development, food

safety and security, coastal community livelihoods, and generation of foreign exchange

through the export of fish and other fisheries products. The REBYC‐II CTI Project in Vietnam works closely with DECAFIREP and Provincial staff in

KienGiangProvince, which is amongst the provinces with the highest number of trawlers in

Vietnam. According to a recent report of local authority of KienGiang province, there are total

of 12,435 fishing vessels registered in the province. Of those, the number of trawlers is 3,265

accounting for about 26% of the total number. However, the total catch from the trawl

fisheries in KienGiang (and Vietnam overall)is not known with any degree of certainty. There

is a lack of operational‐level data on catches for all regions and thereforethe trends in catch

rates are difficult to monitor. Although a national legal framework has been established to

implement a logbook program requiring the cooperation of fishing communities,

implementation has been weak due to the lack of compliance and enforcement. The difficulty

of catch monitoring is also exacerbated by the complex multi‐species and multi‐gear nature of

the trawl fishery in KienGiang province.

This report was prepared underthe REBYC‐II CTI activity ‘Data collection of trawl fisheries by

catchinKienGiang waters of Vietnam’. The expected outputs are: (1) the collection of data

relating tototal landings by selected trawl fishery fleets; (2) total bycatch by selected trawl

fishery fleets (trash* fish, juveniles and sharks, rays and coral fragments); and (3)monthly

species and size composition and volumes of catch and bycatch by selected trawl fishery

fleets (by season, area, vessel type, gear type)

Hoai Nam, N., Thi Hien, N., TheAnh, N., Viet Ha, V., & Van Cuong, T. (2014). Report on Data Collection of Trawl Fisheries By catch in Kien Giang , Vietnam 2014. Samut Prakarn: Training Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center.