On January 8, Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee informed that the province had just approved the Project "Crossing professions in aquaculture exploitation in Dak Lak province", with a total estimated cost of more than 727.5 billion VND, aimed at rearranging the exploitation profession structure and towards sustainable aquaculture development.
As of December 2025, the whole province has 2,556 fishing vessels, of which the coastal operating fleet accounts for a large proportion with 1,293 vessels (more than 50%). This situation, along with the continued existence of destructive exploitation occupations such as trawl nets, tuna traps... has caused a serious decline in aquatic resources and negatively affected the ecological environment.
The project aims to definitively convert 1,273 coastal fishing vessels and 92 offshore fishing vessels engaged in trawl and drift net fishing to environmentally friendly professions or switch to other production fields. This not only aims to protect aquatic resources but also helps about 3,000 workers escape precarious incomes and stabilize long-term livelihoods.
For vocational conversion, fishermen are supported once 70% of the value of fishing gear for households implementing conversion. Industries oriented for conversion include: aquaculture (offshore marine farming), fisheries logistics services, community tourism, seafood processing and other non-agricultural industries.
During the transition period (12 months), affected people will be supported with a level of money equivalent to 30 kg of rice/person/month.
For vocational training, fishermen from poor and near-poor households who need vocational training are supported with training costs of up to 2.5 million VND/person/course, along with support for food and travel according to regulations.
Relevant units also support loan capital for production development. Accordingly, households in difficult areas are allowed to borrow up to 100 million VND/person, with preferential interest rates according to current regulations.
The project is phased out into two phases: the 2025 - 2026 period focuses on reviewing, statistically analyzing needs and implementing policies to support transformation; the 2026 - 2030 period will promote comprehensive transformation, strictly handle cases of re-offending and ensure job stability for fishermen.
