Clam spat areas survey

Wednesday, March 28, AD and me went to Vinh Hai commune again. This time we followed the vice chairman of the Vinh Hai clam cooperative for surveying clam spat areas.

On the way to the mudflat

A drink shop on the grey sand. The two men were making a kind of floating boat for going to the sea.

A floating boat

Peaceful sleep ;)

AD was on the motorbike with the vice-chairman of the clam cooperative.

Discussion at the site which supposed to have clam eggs emergence.

The clam site

Floating mud sledge

Discussion with the head of the guard group

Discussion with the head of the guard group

On the way back - it was too muddy to ride, thus we had to walk for a while.

We passed by Au Tho B village again, this time AD visited the bamboo walkway.

Mr. Thach Soal and AD at the end of the bamboo walkway.

Meeting for the Vinh Hai clam cooperative 2012 action plan

On Tuesday, March 21st, 2012, at the People's Committee of Vinh Chau town, a meeting was organized to discuss on the Vinh Hai clam cooperative's action plan for the new coming clam season in 2012. The meeting was attended by representatives from many different stakeholders such as the clam cooperative, the local authorities at district and commune levels, sub-division DARD in Vinh Chau district, Sub-DECAFIREF, rangers, military and the project coordinators and officers.

Mr. Hai Tình, chairman of the Vinh Hai clam cooperative

Mr. Lai Gùi Ngợi, vice chairman of the Vinh Hai clam cooperative






Mr. Nguyễn Chí Công, vice president of the Vinh Chau town's People Committee,
head of the district project team

The vice head of Vinh Hai commune




Comments from Mr. Trường, head of the Economic division of Vinh Chau district

Comments from Mr. Dũng, Sub-DECAFIREF and from the project coordinator (Mrs. Thảo) and the project officer (Mr. Anh Dũng)

Mr. Hưng, head of the Soc Trang Cooperative Alliance

Clam cooperative February meeting

 Clam cooperative monthly meeting at Mr. Hai Tinh's house

This morning, AD and me went to Vinh Chau to attend the monthly clam cooperative meeting, which was organized at Mr. Hai Tình's, the director of Vinh Hai clam cooperative.

Onions in Vinh Chau

Workshop on MSC standards for clams in the Mekong Delta, My Tho, 5.12.2011

Source: CZM Soc Trang 

The Vietnamese-German technical cooperation GIZ project “Management on Natural Resources in the Coastal Zone of Soc Trang Province” supported a workshop on MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) standards for clams in My Tho, TienGiang province on December 5th. About 100 representatives from the relevant authorities from the Mekong Delta provinces, the private sector and clam-cooperatives participated in the workshop. The aim was to exchange about the experiences with MSC certification, which have been gathered throughout the last two years in Ben Tre, as well as exploring the possibilities and challenges for MSC certification for clams from other provinces in the Mekong Delta.

Since 2009 the province of Ben Tre has the MSC certificate for clams. After certification, which is valid for 5 years, annual assessments take place to ensure the quality and compliance with MSC regulations. The clam production in Ben Tre has a high productivity and managed to gain access to new markets, like Italy and Spain.The demand of the market is even higher than Ben Tre can sustainably supply.

The three principles for MSC certification are:

1. Maintenance of the target fish stock 
2. Maintenance of the ecosystem 
3. Effectiveness of the fishery management system

As “good management” is the hardest criterion within the MSC certification process, it turned out that sustainable management under the co-management principles, which were already set up for some clam-cooperatives in the Mekong Delta, ensures quality and sustainability. The MSC certification can be used as a management tool. Other key aspects discussed were for example the necessity of close cooperation between local authorities, the private sector like manufacturers and the clam-cooperatives, clear awareness of all participants about the long-term benefits and a good environmental monitoring (e.g. water quality).

Participants of the workshop.

Meeting in Vinh Hai commune

Meeting in Trà Sết community house on clam cooperative issues:

Meeting in group 1 - Mr.Miêng's home

Lunch at Mr. Mieng's home

Meeting in group 3 - Mr. Biển's home

Meeting on Vinh Hai clam cooperative issues

Meeting with Mr. Nguyen Hoang Long at DARD Vinh Chau

Meeting with managing board of the Vinh Hai clam cooperative (Tra Set community house) 

Marking boundary of Vinh Hai clam cooperative

Mangrove worms