Da Nang city is accelerating the transition of fishermen to new occupations for sustainable development. (Illustrative photo: QUANG VIET) Choose a suitable career.
The need for vocational retraining for fishermen has been pressing in the city recently. Mr. Cao Van Minh, former Chairman of the Nai Hien Dong Fishery Union (Son Tra ward), said that vocational retraining in the area is currently in line with the city’s policy of restructuring fishing vessels and seafood exploitation.
Many fishermen have shifted from fishing at sea to aquaculture, providing support services for the fishing industry, and participating in various forms of services, tourism , and trade.
“There are two trends in the transformation of the fishing industry. Firstly, coastal fishermen are able to mobilize capital to build new or upgrade fishing vessels for offshore fishing. Secondly, fishermen engaged in inefficient fishing methods are switching to other economic activities,” Mr. Minh said.
According to Mr. Le Dinh Tuong, Deputy Head of the Economic – Infrastructure – Urban Planning Department of Hoi An Dong ward, the reality of seafood exploitation in the area over the past period shows that as the structure of fishing vessels operating in coastal waters increases, resources are depleted, and the ecological environment and coastal marine ecosystem are also negatively impacted.
The urgent need now is to shift the structure of fishing vessels and fishing methods towards efficiency and sustainability. To achieve this, fishing quotas and the structure of fishing methods must be consistent with resource reserves; and fishing methods that negatively impact resources, the environment, and ecosystems must be minimized or eliminated.
Fishermen need to shift from occupations that negatively impact resources and the environment to other occupations in order to gradually rebalance fishing intensity and align it with the ability of marine resources to recover and regenerate.
According to our research, many fishermen have recently taken the initiative to switch professions and secure long-term livelihoods.
For example, Mr. Bui Thanh Xu (Ha Loc village, Tam Xuan commune), who previously worked as a fisherman catching flying fish along the coast, realized the low economic efficiency and switched to opening a boat engine repair garage. He said that this profession is now providing stable economic returns, regular employment, and annual revenue of over 250 million VND.
Fisherman Bui Thanh Xu (Ha Loc village, Tam Xuan commune) has a stable income after switching from fishing for flying fish in the coastal area to repairing boat engines. Photo: QUANG VIET Support for transitioning to trawling occupations.
Trawl fishing (also known as dragnet fishing) involves dragging nets with small mesh sizes to capture marine life, causing harm to the marine ecosystem.
Therefore, the City People’s Council issued Resolution No. 01/2026/NQ-HĐND dated February 11, 2026, stipulating policies to support the development of fisheries in the area for the period 2026 – 2030.
Accordingly, support will be provided to ship owners to convert from trawling to other marine fishing methods not on the prohibited list, with a subsidy of 50% of the conversion costs, including vessel modifications, purchasing new fishing gear and equipment, but not exceeding 50 million VND per vessel. Many localities with trawling are disseminating this policy to encourage fishermen to register and complete the necessary procedures to access it.
According to Mr. Nguyen Chi Dan, Chairman of the Tam Xuan Commune People’s Committee, the locality has 44 trawling vessels in operation. In addition to the city’s general policy supporting the conversion to trawling, Tam Xuan commune has issued its own policy to provide further support to fishermen in the area.
According to Mr. Dan, the job retraining for owners of trawling boats in the commune aims not only to reduce the number and intensity of seafood exploitation but also to restructure seafood exploitation activities towards sustainability, reduce pressure on coastal resources, and protect areas with diverse ecological values such as the Ba Dau reef.
“The shift to trawling while maintaining the fisheries service chain and ensuring jobs and income for fishermen is the basis for gradually building the commune’s seafood exploitation industry in a rational direction, protecting resources, increasing production value, and ensuring sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities,” Mr. Dan said.
Fishermen in Tam Xuan are switching from trawling to tourism, contributing to the protection of biodiversity in the Ba Dau reef area. Photo: Hong Ron
According to the People’s Committee of Tam Xuan commune, the principle of supporting the conversion to trawling in the area is post-investment support and support only after the boat owner has received support from the city’s policies. Accordingly, trawling boat owners must mobilize their own capital to cease trawling, transition to a new occupation, and upgrade their fishing gear and equipment for the new occupation. The People’s Committee of the commune will provide support after the boat owner has made the necessary investments and has all the required documents and records.
Tam Xuan commune provides support of 10 million VND for fishermen to destroy and dismantle trawling vessels with a length from 6m to less than 12m; 30 million VND for the destruction and dismantling of trawling vessels from 12m to less than 15m; and 50 million VND for the destruction and dismantling of trawling vessels 15m or longer.
The People’s Committee of Tam Xuan commune will also support fishermen with the cost of converting from trawling to other prohibited fishing methods, with a maximum support of 30 million VND, including the cost of purchasing new fishing gear and equipment. In addition, trawling boat owners who switch professions will receive 100% tuition support from the People’s Committee for captain or engineer training.
According to Mr. Truong Xuan Ty, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, there are still 90 trawling vessels and 2,291 inshore fishing vessels in the city that threaten marine resources.
The relevant authorities will advise the City People’s Council to issue a resolution stipulating policies to support fishermen in transitioning to new occupations through loans from the city’s budget entrusted via the Development Investment Fund. At the same time, they will propose that the City People’s Council amend and supplement Resolution No. 01/2026/NQ-HĐND dated February 11, 2026, to increase the support level for fishing vessels participating in the transition and dismantling of vessels.