Inadequate fisheries policy

(Baonghean) - Fishing is a traditional profession, very important for economic development, preserving sovereignty over seas and islands, but policies are very weak and lacking. In 2013 alone, our province had 23 fishing boat accidents, including 2 serious ones with 16 crew members in distress. This reality requires attention to the insurance regime for fishermen so that they can feel secure.cling to the sea

Preparing ice for the trip at Lach Quen Fishing Port. Photo: Pham Bang

Accidents increase

We went to Minh Thanh hamlet (Quynh Long, Quynh Luu) - where more than 3 months ago, in just one day, this fishing hamlet lost 8 young men who were the breadwinners of their families. The hamlet was desolate, all the men had gone to sea, the women were at home mending their nets waiting for the boats to return. Ms. Tran Thi Hai lit incense on the altar of her eldest son Bui Hoang Hiep - who is still missing today. Tears streamed down her haggard face. She said: “He is the main breadwinner in the family. He just got married and his child is only 4 months old. The whole family borrowed money to build a 1.5 billion VND boat, and after only one trip, the accident happened. That day, Hiep called and said he was coming home, the family was preparing to go to the wharf to sell fish, but three days later he was still missing. The family and neighbors reported to the commune and district to look for him, but they couldn't find him. Later, they found 2 bodies drifting to the shore of Ky Anh and believed that the boat had an accident. Until now, the child is missing and the body has not been found, the boat also sank, and the family is in debt.”

When asked whether Mr. Hiep and other fishermen had participated in crew insurance and fishing boat insurance, the family said: They participated in full crew insurance, but not fishing boat insurance. So when the boat sank, they did not receive any compensation. As for crew insurance, only half of the payment was 10 million VND, and the insurance agency replied that they would wait to see if the missing people would return in 6 months (?). Ms. Hai sadly said: If my child could return, why would we need 10 million VND!

Not only Minh Thanh hamlet (Quynh Long), before that on November 27, 2013, fishing boat NA - 90249 - TS of Mr. Nguyen Van Tri in Tan An hamlet - An Hoa - Quynh Luu had its mast broken, the boat tilted, and was sunk by waves, causing 8 crew members to go missing and property damage of 2.5 billion VND. Mr. Tran Ngoc Son - owner of boat NA - QL 0020 - TS residing in Phu Loi 2 hamlet, Quynh Di commune (Hoang Mai town) said that when he was trapping crabs in the open sea, he encountered big waves and strong winds, causing the boat to lose its anchor, resulting in the boat sinking and being severely damaged. Luckily, he and his crew members were rescued by other boats, but the damage was still about 300 million VND. Also in 2013, while fishing at Bach Long Vi island, Mr. Nguyen Van Manh's boat in Dong Tien hamlet had an accident and sank. Although Mr. Manh was lucky to be saved, his ship remained at the bottom of the sea and he did not buy insurance for the ship or for people, so he did not receive support when an accident occurred.

The boat of Mr. Doan Binh in Dong Tien hamlet (Quynh Lap, Hoang Mai town), with a capacity of 400 CV, while operating at Bai Chua Ba, hit a reef, causing the boat to leak water, the hull was damaged, causing damage of about 1 billion VND. The boat of Mr. Tran Van Tam in Quyet Thang hamlet, Dien Bich commune (Dien Chau), while operating encountered strong currents due to floods, causing the boat to lose control, being swept ashore, sinking, causing damage of more than 600 million VND. Previously, in 2012, the fishing boat of Mr. Tran Dinh Hoi's family with a capacity of 240 CV in Quyet Tam hamlet (Quynh Lap) was sunk by a tornado, killing 3 people. Although the border guard station rescued the boat, the damage to the boat and people was very large. It is worth mentioning that the victims did not buy crew insurance, so when the accident happened, they were not compensated...

Minh Thanh hamlet chief Tran Trung Chinh said: there are 180 out of 340 households that go to sea; 18 offshore fishing boats with a capacity of 90 CV or more. Currently, no one has participated in fishing boat insurance because it is too expensive, fishing boats are mainly in debt so they cannot afford to buy insurance (fishing boat insurance costs about several hundred million VND), but basic crew insurance is paid. Crew members still have a very difficult life, the State needs to support insurance for them so that they can confidently stick to the sea. Although it is only 300 thousand VND per person, many people still do not have money to pay.

Captain Tran Duc Tai, who has a 550 CV boat in Minh Thanh (Quynh Long), said: “Life on the river is full of risks. Even though we are very careful, we still cannot predict anything. Therefore, we hope to receive more attention from the Party and the State. If there are conditions to support us with detectors, if not, having an insurance support policy is also a very good thing.”

Need stronger support policies

In recent years, the weather has become increasingly complex, the East Sea has also seen many storms, tropical depressions, and many storms that do not follow the rules. Meanwhile, the number of ships at sea has increased, and not everyone knows the shipping lanes. Fishing boat accidents have therefore increased during storms... Statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghe An: In 2013 alone, there were 23 fishing boat accidents, causing serious risks to people and property of fishermen. Many cases had heartbreaking consequences, the ship sank, crew members went missing, and the lives of the crew members' families were very difficult.

Faced with such losses, many ship owners have realized the important role of crew insurance to help themselves and their fellow sailors stay at sea with peace of mind. Mr. Phan Van Hai - owner of the NA 90905 ship with a capacity of over 600 CV, in Quynh Lap (Hoang Mai Town) said: "To stay at sea with peace of mind and ensure the rights of my fellow sailors, I always buy crew insurance for everyone. 300,000 VND/year per person, a total of 4.5 million VND/year for 15 people. Moreover, after many accidents, the Border Guard also strictly checks: anyone without crew insurance is not allowed to go to sea." Mr. Hai bought insurance at agents in Quynh Lap commune. But when asked if he had bought insurance for his fishing boat, he said he could not afford it. If he bought enough, it would be 200 million VND, which is too much money because he, like many other ship owners, had to borrow a lot when building the ship. Nguyen Huu Thanh (Dong Tien, Quynh Lap) gave his opinion: For fishing boats, he does not buy insurance, but for crew insurance, he buys it some years and does not buy it some years. The reason is that he sees accidents but getting compensation is really “a pain in the ass”. There are so many procedures and paperwork to do, and he and many others are often far away at sea, rarely at home, so they are very hesitant. He knows that not buying insurance is risky, but he has to accept it because every penny saved is a penny saved.

At the 3rd session of the 16th Nghe An Provincial People's Council, a Resolution was issued on supporting the purchase of crew insurance for poor fishermen and fishermen with offshore fishing policies on vessels of 90CV or more. However, this policy has not been strongly implemented at the grassroots level. The reason is that poor families in coastal areas are often families with only the elderly, or women, or no one goes to sea. Meanwhile, families with people going to sea are not classified as poor households, so the policy has not been effective. Mr. Bui Truong Son - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Long Commune (Quynh Luu) - a commune with the strongest fishing industry in Quynh Luu with 35 purse seine boats, said: Fishermen are having to pay for crew insurance themselves, although the amount is not much, it is very meaningful when fishermen are in trouble. Therefore, if the State can support this "smallest" policy, it will be very reassuring for the people.

Mr. Nguyen Chi Luong - Head of the Department of Exploitation and Protection of Aquatic Resources said: Currently, the policy for fishing in Nghe An province has revealed many shortcomings. Fishing is a traditional and very important profession of the province, but the policy is very weak. Even in Ha Tinh, fishermen building a ship with a capacity of 400 CV or more are supported with 400 million VND/ship, while Nghe An only supports 58 million VND/ship. For fishermen, crew insurance is a very necessary issue, a humanitarian issue that needs to be supported by the State so that all fishermen can feel secure at sea.

Crew insurance is like a “life jacket” for fishermen. But currently many ships are not equipped with this type of “life jacket”. Many fishermen make a comparison: Currently, for farmers, the State has an agricultural insurance policy to support agricultural producers to compensate for natural disasters and promote agricultural development, in which the Government has decided to support 100% of insurance premiums for the poor, 90% of near-poor households, and for normal households, the support fee is up to 60%. Households that grow rice, raise buffalo, cows, pigs, chickens, poultry, and aquatic products including tra fish, basa fish, black tiger shrimp, and white-leg shrimp are all supported with agricultural insurance. Meanwhile, high-risk crew insurance has not been supported by the State.

Chau Lan