Don't be ignorant when going to sea

(Baonghean) -In the context of current complex disputes at sea, the work of propagating and disseminating laws on seas and islands to fishermen is an urgent issue, requiring strong participation of the entire political system.

Border guards propagate sea and island laws to fishermen.

Overcoming limitations of legal ignorance

Nghe An has 82 km of coastline with over 4,000 fishing boats of all kinds, of which over 1/3 can go offshore to catch and exploit aquatic and marine resources. This activity gradually brings stable and sustainable economic income to fishermen in coastal areas, creates direct jobs for thousands of workers, and helps fishermen escape poverty and become rich.

However, not all those who are going out to sea have a firm grasp and clear understanding of the provisions of the law to be able to protect themselves, their property and the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland. Although a large number of people and means of fishing regularly operate in the far seas, there is a reality that for a long time, fishermen have not focused on equipping themselves with basic knowledge of the Law of the Sea.

When asked about legal documents on seas and islands such as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; Vietnam Sea Law; National Border Law, Fisheries Law..., many fishermen looked bewildered as if they were hearing them for the first time. Fisherman Tran Dai Loi (Minh Thanh hamlet, Quynh Long commune, Quynh Luu district) said: My family has a tradition of offshore fishing, I myself have been in this profession for 30 years. Our profession is drifting at sea all year round, news is rarely updated so many regulations are still not clearly understood.

In recent times, local authorities have organized many training and propaganda sessions on legal policies for fishermen, but most of the people invited to these propaganda sessions are the wives or children of fishermen. Meanwhile, those who directly face sensitive issues in law enforcement at sea are rarely properly propagandized.

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Quang Trung - Head of Propaganda Department (Provincial Border Guard) said: The target of propaganda is fishermen who directly fish offshore but are not concentrated, most of the time they are drifting at sea so it is difficult to fully disseminate the Law of the Sea. This leads to a number of problems such as them violating the territorial sovereignty of other countries, using explosive devices to fish causing environmental pollution, limited ability to handle incidents, even confusion when strange foreign ships violate the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Master the law, contribute to protecting national sovereignty

In recent times, the Provincial Steering Committee for the East Sea and Islands has organized many training sessions, communication sessions, and raised awareness of the community on sea and island laws for coastal residents. During the training sessions, fishermen were fully informed about the recent situation of the sea and islands, the activities of the forces on duty on the border and islands to protect the sovereignty of the sea, islands, and territorial waters; basic legal knowledge on management, exploitation, protection, and sustainable development of resources; and policies and guidelines for developing the marine economy of Vietnam.

Fisherman Tran Xuan Thanh (Phu Lien village, Quynh Long commune, Quynh Luu district) said: “My boat usually fishes in the area of ​​latitude 20°VB - 17°VB, 106°130'KĐ - 107°40'KĐ. In this area, besides natural disasters and weather factors, we also encounter many other incidents when going to sea. However, when we are informed and understand the Law of the Sea, we can calmly handle the situation and proactively provide information to the authorities when necessary.”

In particular, when the Law on the Sea of ​​Vietnam was just passed by the National Assembly and officially took effect from January 1, 2013, the Provincial Border Guard has promoted propaganda and dissemination to fishermen in communes and wards in the sea border area and some other inland localities with many means of fishing and exploiting aquatic and marine products at sea. In 2013, the Provincial Border Guard built and implemented the Project "Strengthening dissemination and education of law for officials and people in border and island areas in the period of 2014 - 2016".

The proposed solution for the propaganda work for fishermen is to increase the distribution of leaflets and promptly provide legal knowledge when their boats return to shore. This will help them fully equip themselves with knowledge of maritime law, exploitation and fishing in permitted waters, have skills to deal with foreign vessels, and at the same time encourage fishermen to proactively provide information to the authorities when incidents occur at sea.

In addition to the Border Guard, other authorities have also actively participated in helping fishermen gain full knowledge of the law. In Nghi Loc district - a locality with 540 fishing boats and 1,389 fishermen - propaganda work has also been stepped up.

Since the beginning of the year, the district has organized two concentrated propaganda sessions for the subjects participating in fishing at sea, each session has from 160 to 170 fishermen. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thanh - Head of the Justice Department of Nghi Loc district said: Due to the specific time and work of fishermen, we have coordinated with the authorities to implement two plans, which are organizing concentrated propaganda and dispersed propaganda.

Concentrated propaganda is often carried out during the rough sea season, when most fishermen have gone ashore; while dispersed propaganda is carried out regularly through radio, communication systems, and free distribution of documents related to maritime laws for fishermen to take with them on their trips to sea.

Thus, only when equipped with knowledge about the sea and islands, fishermen will have the awareness to protect the marine ecological environment and not violate the regulations of the law on seafood exploitation. Thereby, contributing to firmly protecting the sacred sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland, and developing the fishing industry at sea in a sustainable direction.

Phuong Thao