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Category: General Published on Tuesday, 02 December 2008 13:47 Written by Christine Van Hits: 577
In Vietnam local fishing practices are threatening to send many fish species to extinction. But on the other side of the equation are the fishermen themselves. Many understand the dire consequences of overfishing, but between feeding one’s family or environmental responsibility, the choice is quite obvious.
Understanding the delicate nature of the situation, WAR has stepped in with an initiative aimed at providing fishermen with an option for an alternative livelihood - as sailing tour guides. This serves the dual purpose of providing income and preserving the environment.
Playing with Dynamite
Con Dao Island was chosen because a large majority of households there are involved in the fishing industry and the island itself is home to sea turtles, dugongs, coral reefs and other endangered species.
“There are about 45 fishing families in Con Dao,” says project manager Julia Shaw. “Seven of the families practise dive-fishing which involves diving to depths of about 25 feet and using dynamite, poison and other illegal gear to ‘catch’ fish. Often, the equipment and methods used are roughly copied from television or books and can be dangerous to both the fishermen and the environment.”
Despite the inherent dangers, though, dive-fishing is a relatively profitable trade as the most sought after and most expensive catches are found at greater depths. Dynamite fishing can net quite a volume with some monthly catches (usually in April and May) topping out at VND25,000,000 which is astronomical compared to monthly average catches of VND4,000,000.
The Lesson Begins
The Con Dao National Park assisted with selecting the fishermen initially by broadcasting a radio announcement about the programme and inviting anyone interested to enroll. The responses were positive with many signing up.
The aim of the programme is to teach the fishermen proper sailing techniques. With their previous experiences of fishing, a few were already familiar with certain sailing aspects like reading the weather, steering, balance, knots and boat maintenance. But a number of other important lessons were also implemented such as marine rules (who has right of way on the seas), safety, sail trim, ways to prevent further sea pollution and elementary English for potential tourist enquiries.
According to Julia, the fishermen learnt fast.
“The first day began with steering and sailing around in a swimming pool. As the men were used to much heavier wooden boats, the plastic composite boats were like working with glass in comparison for them,” she says.
The first week of the lesson was held in Vung Tau because “it was good for the fishermen to train away from home and come back competent.”
“They took pride in their work and wanted to look good for family and friends,” adds Julia. “As they became more confident with their skills, they sailed right up to hotels where locals watched and cheered from the harbour walls.”
The Future Beckons
All passing candidates received a tourist certificate of competency as overseen by the Con Dao National Park. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are content with the current system which can be further developed as a standardised certification system for other training programmes to raise capacities for conservation.
“After completion, the ex-fishermen essentially receive a driver’s license for the right to sail and pursue their new career in the tourism industry,” Julia says. “We are quite pleased with the turnout and conclusion of the first initiative. The fishermen were eager to learn a new trade as many knew their previous one was illegal and dangerous. They were highly motivated and involved with the lessons, with one even asking how long it would take to train for the Olympics.”
By the end of the two-week training, ten percent of Con Dao’s fishermen had been retrained and, more importantly, 70 percent of the dive-fishermen now have the option of alternaive employment. Every candidate that took place in the programme was offered and/or aligned with future jobs in the tourism sector. The pilot programme has been considered a success.
“Aside from retraining, we were also able to get the message of marine conservation out there,” Julia concludes. “The trainees are happy and want to start listing their favourite sites for species with GPS for a tourist guidebook.”
To learn more about WAR and its programmes, visit www.wildlifeatrisk.org.