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Abstract
The study used survey methodologies and direct interviews to fishers on trawlers operating in the coastal areas of Van Don district. The results showed that, there were three types of trawlers in research area including: Traditional trawl, traditional trawl combined with electric and non-traditional trawl. In the period of 2013 ÷ 2017, there were a large number of trawlers operating in the research area (721 boats). The numbers of trawlers had slightly decreased annually but insignificantly (reduced 1.8%), especially the fishers changed from traditional trawl (decreased by 27.0%) to non-traditional trawl (increased by 21.1%) and trawl combined with electric (increased by 29.3%). Most of the trawlers were wooden and the length of the vessels was less than 12m (accounting for 73.8%), using old main engine (accounted for 92.2%); fishing & marine equipment was poor and insufficient to keep safe at sea. The local fishers had a low education level, most of them graduated from the primary school (accounting for 51.5%), even illiteracy (accounted for 7.4%) which leading to fishing habits within one-day-fishing-trip as small scale fisheries in the coastal areas. The proportion of juveniles was high (accounted for 42%), in which juvenile squids were the highest (accounted for 73.0%) in the catches proportion of fishing methods, fishing gears which have small mesh size, combined with using electric in order to catch fisheries resources so that increase revenue and profit for the trawl owners, thus seriously damaging the living environment and fisheries resources.
Key words: Trawl fisheries, Capture fishery, Coastal areas, Van Don