10:11:01 AM | 31/3/2008
More than 500 representatives worldwide, including 40 ministers of developing coastal countries, policy makers, ocean, coast and island managers, and scientists will participate in the global fourth conference on ocean, coast and island to take place in Hanoi from April 7 to 11.
This will be the first time for Vietnam to host a globally important conference on ocean, said Nguyen Chu Hoi, director of the Fisheries Economic Planning Institute under the MARD.
The conference, themed “Advancing ecosystem management and integrated coastal and ocean management by 2010 in the context of climate change,” and inclusive of 13 workshops and discussions, is a good chance for the country’s fisheries workers to exchange experiences with colleagues worldwide, he said.
Vietnam, with a coastline of over 3,260 kilometers (km) and more than 3,000 islands and islets scattered offshore, plus up to 2,860 rivers and estuaries, has been geographically endowed with ideal conditions for the thriving fishery sector which currently exists.
For centuries, the Mekong River Delta in the south and the Red River Delta in the north have been used for wild catch fishing as well as extensive fish farming. The Mekong River Delta, one of the most productive fishery zones, covers an area of about 40,000 square km.
In addition, there are about 4,200 square km of rivers, lakes and other natural bodies of water further inland, which swell to an additional 6,000 square km during periods of seasonal flooding. (Vietnam & World Economy, VOV)
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