In the central province of Khanh Hoa, many foreign investors in aquaculture have rented thousands of hectares of the sea’s surface, a step that is much more difficult for residents to take.

According to Dan Viet online newspaper, over 1,000 hectares of sea surface in Van Phong Bay are allocated to foreign aquatic breeding firms for at least 20 years.

The Taiwanese-managed Nha Trang Pearl Co., Ltd. leased the largest area, 442 hectares, originally to breed pearls, but now to raise fish.

Other foreign companies in Van Phong Bay include the Vietnam Pearl Company (Japan) with 300 hectares, Nha Trang Pearl Company (Japan) with 130 hectares and Marifarm (Norway) with 136 hectares.

In Van Ninh and Ninh Hoa districts, thousands of hectares of the ocean’s surface has been allocated to foreign investors to build tourist sites and shipyards. Meanwhile, resident families are not allowed to rent the sea surface yet.

Dr. Nguyen Tac An, chair of the National Committee of Inter-governmental Oceanography Program, cautioned that Vietnam’s population density along the coast is high, so it has already been overexploited and leasing to foreign investors may cause tenseness, insecurity and pollution.

PV