A project on monitoring fishing boats, fishing grounds and aquaculture
resources using satellite technology, known in short as Movimar, is
being implemented in 28 coastal provinces and cities to facilitate
fishermen’s safe and productive operation at sea.
Back in 2009, the French Government signed an agreement with Vietnam
to provide 13.9 million EUR to the Movimar project, which is
implemented from 2010 to 2014.
Under the project, fishing vessels will be equipped with satellite positioning machines.
The satellite positioning system includes two main parts: machines installed on the boats and the inshore monitoring system.
The
sets of equipment on boats will automatically transfer co-ordinates and
time from the boats to the monitoring center constantly every two
hours. The received data will help the center keep track of the speed
and direction of boats, thus providing timely support in case of
emergency and assisting boats’ fishing activities.
Deputy
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said that the
Movimar project uses modern devices which can monitor fishing boats,
take photos of weather and the sea using remote sensing technology.
On this basis, the system will deliver forecast on the weather and
fishing fields, helping fishermen save costs, especially fuel, resulting
in more effective catching and reduced risks.
The
Deputy Minister noted that to meet the requirements of a new and
technology-intensive project with many difficulties lying ahead, it is
necessary to have well-trained staffs who are able to run the project.
On the other hand, there remain difficulties in
installing devices and providing technical guidance to fishermen,
requiring close coordination with contractors to provide training to
fishermen and other users so that they can master the technical skills.
Regarding
whether the project can cover all the domestic fishing fleets, Deputy
Minister Vu Van Tam said that in the immediate future, 3,000 boats
fishing offshore in 28 coastal provinces and cities will be selected to
be equipped with the satellite devices.
Priority will be given
to boats of more than 90 CV which will serve as head of a group of 5 to
10 smaller trawlers which have not get the device. Thus, the 3,000
satellite-connected boats will provide needed information to thousands
of others while operating offshore.
Previously,
forecasts on fishing ground were based on fishery data only. As a
result, their accuracy was not high due to a lack of ocean research and
remote sensing images.
Therefore, the project, which is equipped
with technology of oceanographic remote sensing image processing, is
expected to provide better forecast on fishing ground.
In 2013, a
center of fishing ground forecast is scheduled to be established. The
center will be managed by the Seafood Research Institute.
Representatives of the Management Board of agriculture projects (the
investor of Movimar) said the project aims to perfect the sea fishing
management information system, meeting requirements of industrialisation
and modernisation of the aquatic sector, effectively and safely
monitoring fish catch, contributing to ensuring the order, and national
security and sovereignty at sea.
The French company, Collecte Localisation Satellites SA, is the project’s partner.
Its
General Director Christophe Vassal said that the construction and
operation of a database of oceanography-based fishing will serve the
forecast on potential fishing grounds, improve quality of hydro-
meteorological forecast, particularly on storms, tropical lows and other
abnormal weather conditions at sea.
The Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural Development is planning a budget to provide
assistance to fishermen for paying subscription fee for satellite
devices after 2014 when the project finishes.
As in other
services such as mobile phones, those who want to continue using Movimar
will have to pay fees. The Institute of Aquatic Research will also have
to pay fee so that its center of fishing ground forecast will have
access to updated information from satellites using the remote sensing
technology and oceanography.-VNA