The Vietnamese Committee for Fisheries in the Gulf of Tonkin releasedapproximately 90,000 fingerlings in Cat Ba town, the northern port city ofHai Phong, on October 6, with a view to enriching resources inthe fishing grounds shared by Vietnam and China.

Deputy Directorof the Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries Nguyen Ngoc Oai, who is also thehead of the committee, said the endeavour was to call for the people’sjoint effort in conserving fishery resources and protecting environment.

Thereleased fingerlings included bass, black tiger shrimp and crab, alongwith many other species of high economic value, he added.

Vietnam’sfisheries contribute substantially to national economic development andthe global market. In addition to fishing inshore, Vietnam isincreasingly fishing offshore, boosting the country’s seafood exports,the official said.

Vietnam’s seafood exports rose from 4.7billion USD in 2008 to more than 6.7 billion USD in 2013, accounting for6.3 percent of the nation’s export revenue, he noted.

Therelease of fingerlings was among activities agreed by the Vietnam-ChinaJoint Committee for Fisheries in the Gulf of Tonkin to mark the 10thanniversary of the Tonkin Gulf Demarcation Agreement and the bilateralAgreement on Fishery Cooperation in the gulf.

After a decade ofimplementation, the agreements have helped maintain security and orderin the Gulf of Tonkin, the official said, adding that the ratificationof the documents demonstrated Vietnam’s willingness to solve territorialissues via dialogues in line with international law.-VNA