Danida Supports Co-Management Initiatives in Vietnam’s Fisheries Sector


Danish assistance to the fisheries sector emphasises local ownership and participation and Quy Huong Commune in Son La will be the first to try out new approaches to local co-management in the fisheries sector.
Funded by Denmark, the Fisheries Sector Programme, FSPS II, highly emphasises the strengthening of capture fisheries management and with the pilot project in Quy Huong it is hoped that local fishermen can establish locally driven management practices.
The fishermen in Quy Huong have already identified several issues to be included in a management plan, such as the need for investigating the performance and sustainability of their fisheries practices in order to increase the productivity.
In addition to this, the fishermen are interested in developing sustainable cage culture systems. Currently there is only one cage culture farmer due to bad experiences with diseased fish stocks.
The fishermen are also experiencing water quality problems, as the nearby reservoir is causing irregular water level fluctuations and even poisonous sediments. The local fishermen are expressing the will to solve these issues and integrate them in a co-management plan, which with the support from Danida, should be in draft form in December 2007.
In one of the twelve villages, the fishing community has already established a Village Fishermen’s Union and they are eager to integrate other villages and strengthen their organization.
Denmark supports the provision of technical support in solving the different issues and in the identification of others. The people of Quy Huong Commune and Son La Province will also be assisted in developing and implementing the joint fisheries co-management plan.
FSPS II aims to improve co-management in the fisheries sector as this improves both sustainability and national ownership. Through the strengthening of fishermen’s unions, the Danish-funded programme aims to improve the capacity of the fishermen to take active part in resource and practice management. It is hoped that the progress in Quy Huong commune will lead to the establishment of similar co-management units in other provinces throughout Vietnam.

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