The Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers jointly launched a training course on protecting dolphins during fishing tuna in Phu Yen province on December 13.
Transporting a tuna fish to shore (Photo: VNA)
The course in Tuy Hoa city looks to equip the fishermen with regulations on tuna fishing and export issued by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Earth Island Institute (ELI).
In 1990, the ELI established the Dolphin Safe tuna program, setting the worldwide standards to stop the setting of nets on dolphins. It ensures that tuna is caught without chasing or netting of dolphins.
According the regulations, tuna exporters must sign papers confirming that no dolphins are caught, harmed or killed in tuna nets.
More than 90 percent of the world’s tuna companies are now committed to Dolphin Safe fishing practices, and the Dolphin Safe label is now on canned tuna in markets throughout the world.
Dolphin deaths in tuna nets have declined by 99 percent.
Participants also learned about the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS) as well as Vietnam’s regulations and fines related to violations in the fisheries sector.
Similar courses were previously held in Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Tien Giang and Binh Thuan provinces.
The authority expects to open more classes on safe tuna fishing practices to disseminate the knowledge wider among local fishermen, processors and traders.
Phu Yen’s fishermen catch between 4,700 and 6,000 tonnes of tuna each year.