Facilitating Fisheries Information Gathering through Introduction of Community-Based Fisheries Management: Role and Function of Fishers Organization in the Implementation of Co-management in Viet Nam

Date: 12-14 May 2015

Venue: Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province, Viet Nam

Objectives

1. Support national fisheries staff and provincial staff with the knowledge of Legal aspects on operation of fisher organizations.

2. To gain experiences to support how:

3. To legitimate access to fish landing sites and the rights to fish;

4. To access to mutual support system (e.g. condolence funds, emergency funds, mutual help among members, and others);

5. To access to small-scale loans operated by co-management bodies;

6. To access to training by the project and other support providers; and

7. To access to other types of project support (e.g. aquaculture models, cheaper fish fingerlings, equipment support, and others).

Result

The Training had 3 sessions; session 1. Role and Function of Fishers Organization in the Implementation of Co-management, session 2. How to ensure smooth operation of fishers organizations, and session 3. Workshop on the roles and functions of fishers organizations for introduction and implementation of Co-management in Viet Nam.

The session 1 had two presentations from resource person from Japan (Dr. Mitsutaku Makino, the Head of Fisheries Management Section of the Fisheries Research Agency) and SEAFDEC Secretariat member (Mr. Tsuyoshi Iwata, Senior Expert and Technical Coordinator). This presentation focus on the Role and Function of Fisheries Cooperative Association in Japan including regulation and fishing rights and also the factors for successful Co-Management through Fisher Organization. 

The session 2 composed of six presentations focusing on case study of implementation Co-management system in Japan and Thailand especially, Fisheries Cooperative Association, micro-finance, government support and effective way for data Collection. Moreover, resource person from Viet Nam kindly present on the Monitoring Implementation through data collection at Co-management communities in CRSD project. 

The session 3 is the workshop on the roles and functions of fishers organizations for introduction and implementation of co-management in Viet Nam. Dr. Yasuhisa Kato, Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) for the Coastal Resource for Sustainable Development Project (CRSD) in Viet Nam, kindly presented introduction of co-management system to Vietnam through CRSD project. The project includes the component to introduce co- management system in near-shore fisheries as the government issuance of Decree 33 and identifying eight coastal provinces as target sites. However, the planned activities have faced some problems and shown some delayed actions.

In addition, he expressed the difficulties that 1) Change of Management system requires a lot of changes of people’s mind-sets it is practical to promote the activities through pilot sites approach; 2) Mainstreaming exercise and technical clarification (detailed guidelines) should be applicable not only for the people in pilot sites but also to the people who are interest in the Co-management system; 3) some people excluded from the exercise of introduction of Co- Management, they can be act negatively for the people who receive the privileges the initiatives of Co-Management promoted. Therefore, careful consideration on the pilot project sites can be required including how the wider people can be involved through the wider promotional work for the people who can be excluded from the project activities. However, the CRSD project is a great opportunity to consider and develop the sustainable fisheries in Vietnam with a wider application of co-management to eight provinces.

Moreover, Dr. Kato kindly make a discussion between resource persons and all participant, Japan has developed coastal fisheries management system with the concept of fishing rights as a part of democratization policy as the “Exclusive Fishing Rights” can be provided to the Local Fishermen’s Organization, not to the individual people, institutional building exercise can be most important issue prior to the provision of appropriate fishing rights. The discussions mainly make understand on the fishing right system as well as the fishing zone for Community. It could be clearly define the coastal fishing ground, that some participant found the problem on dividing fishing ground to the fishing communities. 

Conclusion and Recommendation

The implementation of Co-management and Right-based fisheries Management is the key solution for setting fisheries management scheme for the coastal area in Viet Nam. It is very useful to share the experience of Japan on fisheries co-management and rights-based fisheries, especially the Fisheries Cooperative Associations (FCAs) in Japan, which could be applied to promote Co-management and Right-based management for sustainable fisheries in Viet Nam.    

Lastly, Mr. Hajime Kawamura thanked the participants for their active participation and thanked for the Fisheries Administration of Vietnam for cooperation during the Training. He also emphasized on the importance of community based co-management with the fishing rights, it is very effective for sustainable coastal and inland fisheries. He expected that the achievements of this training course can improved the skill and knowledge of participant as well as to facilitate community based co-management in Viet Nam. The he declared the Training closed.

Baseline Survey and Consultation Meeting to Clarify Feasible ways for Implementation of Management Measures in Chong Khneas

Date: 6-8 May 2015

Venue: Siem Reap Province, Cambodia

Objectives

1. To collect concrete information from real case of Co-management/CBFM implementation in Chong Khneas fishing community,

2. To identify issues and challenges for improvement of fishery management in Chong Khneas fishing community and find out appropriate actions,

3. To develop Implementation Plan in Co-management/CBFM in Chong Khneas fishing community,

4. To  provide reference information for fishery officers in Cambodia on the key to successful implementation of Co-management/CBFM.  

Result

Mr. Lieng Sopha, Acting Director of Community Fishery Development Department, informed the participants on the objectives and proposes of the Meeting including the time schedule during three days meeting. Then, Mr. Sombut, head of Chong Khneas Community Fisheries (CFi) introduced background of Chong Khneas Community Fisheries and scope of fisheries management in the community. The CFi was established in 2001, supported by local authority and Fisheries officers and FAO. CFi members come from 6 villages of Chong Khneas commune which has 755 families and 70% people are fishers. There are many activities implemented such as extension and dissemination, broodstock management, social development by group with supporting by governments and FAO.

Mr. Sombut also mentioned about the challenges on community fisheries management. The challenges were 1) Insufficient of facilities and materials for patrolling of IUU Fishing in the community, 2) IUU Fishing has happened sporadically at night time during the absence of fishing patrol boat, 3) Fishers have a limitation in pointing out IUU Fishing to fishing community committees, 4) Inadequate of demarcation of conservation areas, 5) Water canal, which connected to protected area, have shallow that lead to difficulty for transportation by boat or ferry during dry season, 6) Lack of budget support to conservation guard at protected area. For the solutions, He also pointed out that 1) Disseminate, educate and encourage users to stop using illegal fishing activities, and 2) Handle and coordinate among fishers during conflicts. Moreover, he suggested that government should 1) Help to seek funding to support communities' sustainable fishery resource management activities, 2) The committees should have uniform for patrolling, 3) Provide training courses on aquaculture, livestock and plantation, and 4) To re-dig old shallow lake from Kbal Khun Theay Khoem to conservation area (Boeng Pea Raeng).

In addition, SEAFDEC team and participant visited the Chong Khneas fishing community and conservation area. The community has around 20 family household. Main fishing gear are fish trap and gillnet. In the community, there is one canal, which connected to conservation area. They use this canal with 3.5 km length to go for fishing. Moreover, they would like to do ecotourism by bringing the tourists to conservation area through this canal. However, the fishers face the problem that someday, they cannot go through the canal because it is very deep water in rainy season as well as it is a shallow water in dry season. Hence, they would like to dig canal more deeper for fishing and ecotourism.

In addition, CFi has management plans to 1) patrol IUU fishing in the community territory, 2) plant flooded forest, 3) disseminate on aquaculture extension, and 4) renovate post office, boat and watchtower. According to develop the CFi management plans, SEAFDEC team, Cambodian officers, and the representatives from Chong Khneas fishing community had discussed together on the CFi Management and Development Plan for 2015.

After discussion, the CFi Management and Development Plan for 2015 composed of three components; 1) Fisheries Management, 2) Rehabilitation, and 3) Livelihood. For the fisheries management, they would like to make internal rule and regulation and awareness building on law and internal rule including awareness on Cambodia aquaculture guideline as well as conduct patrolling and fisheries information gathering. For the rehabilitation, they would like to rehabilitate fish habitat by planting flooded forest and install artificial shelf in conservation area. For livelihood, they would like to increase income for fisheries household by promote ecotourism, aquaculture, livestock, vegetable plantation, and micro finance.