Many fishermen Vietnam’s central province of Quang Tri have continued fishing in the East Sea despite China’s unilateral ban.
Fishermen continue fishing in the East Sea
The China’s annual ban is from May 16 to August 1 this year, on all fishing activities in the sea area from 12 degrees north parallel to the border of the waters of China’s Guangdong Province with Fujian Province, including the Gulf of Tonkin and Scarborough Reef.
After the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development were informed of the Chinese illegal ban, Quang Tri Province People’s Committee issued a document to encourage local fishermen to continue their fishing activities normally in Vietnam’s water areas in the East Sea.
Most of fishermen in Quang Tri Province have continued keep their fishing activities off Spratly and Paracel islands fall within Vietnam’s sovereignty.
Bui Dinh Chinh, a local fisherman, said that “We strongly protest against these Chinese actions. These are our traditional fishing grounds, it’s within Vietnamese sovereignty and our fishermen have been fishing there for generations.”
The Vietnam Fisheries Association have recently rejected China’s illegal ban on fishing in the East Sea and urged local authorities to take action against Chinese violations and to protect Vietnamese fishermen.
