BinhDinh Online

Science and Technology

http://www.baobinhdinh.com.vn/viewer.aspx?macm=23&macmp=23&mabb=148240

Friday, 05/06/2020, 02:32 (GMT + 7)

E-logbook, Electronic Catch Documentation and Traceability (eCDT)  : A new step to modern fisheries

In order to help fishermen step by step approach technology, towards developing fishery towards modernization, by the end of March 2020, the Center for Marineline Conservation and Community eDevelopment in collaboration with Binh Dinh Fisheries Sub department has piloted technology of using electronic application for catch documentation and traceability on 10 tuna fishing boats of Hoai Nhon district.

Up to now, most of the offshore fishing farmers in the province have well complied with the procedures of log book recording and filing the  catch documentation according to the new Fisheries Law. However, with paper based as curently used by now, both fishermen, businesses and management agencies have many difficulties. After a long time of preparation, in March 2020, the Center for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) in collaboration with the Directorate of Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) and Binh Dinh Fisheries sector piloted the eCDT application. Technology was applied  (eCDT) on 10 ocean tuna fishing vessels of Hoai Nhon fishermen.

eCDT – easy and convernient to use

Take us to his vessel, , fisherman Bui Van Xep, in Tam Quan Bac Ward, Hoai Nhon Town, owner and captain of fishing boat No. 97738-TS, both performed the eCDT action and excitedly explained: “ It is quite simple, just open the software on a mobile phone and take a picture of the fish, the location information, the coordinates of the ship are automatically updated, saved to the system. The message prepared on the VNPT cruise monitoring device is also updated and sent directly to the Directorate of Fisheries eCDT website. All the content I have done was saved at my mobile phone, when selling fish to any business I just need to send data to them. They will base on that declaration to report to the state management agencies to perform traceability of seafood and confirm it, no need to borrow the copy of the paper based logbook of fishermen. Compared with before, eCDT is so much convenient.

Fishermen working in tuna fishing in Hoai Nhon Town are excited to use eCDT technology

Participating in the pilot eCDT application, fishermen have gradually mastered and proved quite satisfied. Fisherman Nguyen Van Quoc, also in Tam Quan Bac ward, owner of fishing boat No. 98338-TS, said: “The catch documentation when done in windy and difficult conditions is difficult. And using eCDT is very simple and effective. Each fishing vessel will be given a unique identification code to be issued to a mobile phone; When the fish is caught, each tuna fish is tied an identification string at the tail with an ID code, the fisherman just needs to take a picture of the mobile phone, the software will update itself on the coordinates, boat position, type of tuna yellow fin or big eyes, I just estimated the weight of the fish to enter and it is done, quick operation but extremely convenient ”.

VNPT is the unit chosen by the Directorate of of Fisheries to be a partner to implement the requirements related to eCDT design. According to Mr. Ha Dang Tien, Deputy Director of VTC Business Center (directly under VNPT), fishermen can record elogbook by composing a message on the VNPT cruise monitoring device supplied, installed, or on any other  electric device that has eCDT software installed. Mobile phones come with VSS Catching Doc software installed, manipulation on any device is simple. Currently, VNPT has also carefully prepared the conditions to implement the eCDT synchronous project between fishermen, management agencies, businesses purchasing products when the General Department of Fisheries officially applies eCDT, then everything will be favorable. take one more step.

Need to be synchronized

The eCDT system, when widely used, will greatly benefit the stakeholders, such as: Fisheries management agencies, fishermen, fishing port management boards, owners and enterprises carry out traceability. seafood according to regulations. Mr. Nguyen Minh Khai, Director of Tam Quan Fishing Port Management Board (Hoai Nhon Town), said: “Every moon fishing season, fishermen dock in Tam Quan port, up to thousands of boats, in 5-7 days of sea and rolling vacation. Ministries, port staff must perform a lot of tasks from import and export procedures, control of fishing vessels, monitoring of seafood production … which takes a lot of time and manpower. If eCDT system is applied synchronously, the Management Board of fishing ports has many advantages, and fishermen also do not need to come directly to present.”

The pilot implementation of eCDT in Binh Dinh has brought about positive results, initially meeting the information needs about fish species caught production, fishing coordinates, harvesting time of each individual tuna fish and the first buyer.  Ms. Nguyen Thu Hue, Director of MCD, said: “We chose to pilot eCDT technology in Binh Dinh because this is the locality with the largest tuna fishing fleet in the country, where  links of tuna supply chains is being developed, between fishers, collectors, processers and buyer.   The pilot results show that eCDT has successfully completed the set of tasks. This is an important basis for us to request the  Directorate  of Fisheries to evaluate and develop a roadmap for completion and application of the national eCDT system”.

In terms of State management in the field of fisheries, Deputy Director of the Sub-Department of Fisheries (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) Nguyen Cong Binh said that: Keeping log book and traceability are important issues in the implementation of of Fisheries Law and IUU regulations. However, initially the eCDT pilot has only been applied to fishermen. In the next stages, the Directorate of Fisheries will provide guidelines so that the fishing authority, fishing port, owner …all  to apply to the whole country.

NGOC NHAN NHAN