Proceedings of the International Cyanide Detection Testing Workshop

enforcement is minimal. There is anecdotal
information that middlemen that buy live reef
food fi sh also supply fi shers with the cyanide
(Strehlow, 2006).
In 2002 it was reported that 80% of the
live marine aquarium fi sh exported from
Vietnam die during transport to consuming
nations from the detrimental effects of
cyanide, ammonia and stress (Rubec and
Palacol, 2002). The current percentage of
mortalities in live marine aquarium fi sh from
Vietnam is unknown. High mortality rates,
due to cyanide capture and poor collection,
transport, and handling procedures is a major
problem impacting the viability of the marine
aquarium and live reef food fi sh export trade
from Vietnam.
In Vietnam little attention is paid to the
health of fi shers using diving equipment,
despite warnings in the media by scientists
regarding the harmful effect of using cyanide
for fi shing and using directly compressed air
without fi ltering while diving (Barber and
Pratt, 1997, 1998). Divers in Vietnam have
reported feeling drunk for a short time after
using too much cyanide (Strehlow, 2006).
Little is known about the long term health
impacts of cyanide on fi shers.
Although there seems to be a good
understanding of the negative impacts of
cyanide fi shing, the economic returns surpass
those of traditional fi shing, and with little
enforcement, this illegal activity persists.
Researchers have worked with local
communities in Indonesia and the Philippines
to develop cyanide-free net capturing
techniques for the marine aquarium trade
(Rubec et al., (2001). In order to reduce the
impact of cyanide fishing on coral reefs,
as well as on diver health, alternatives for
cyanide fi shing need to be developed for local
Vietnamese fi shing communities.
An assessment of the legislative landscape for cyanide
management
The Vietnamese government has made
various commitments internationally and
promulgated legislation domestically to
eliminate destructive fishing practises.
International Commitments
In the international arena Vietnam has made
numerous commitments to phasing out
destructive fi shing practices as detailed in
Appendix 1. Key commitments include:
•
•
•
122
FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries (1995) which contains a
commitment to end destructive fi shing
practices
APEC Fisheries Working Group (1997)
- Endorsed a resolution urging “all
members of the international community
to cease the practise of cyanide fi shing”
WSSD (2002) - Contains a commitment to
phasing out destructive fi shing practices
in the marine environment by the year
2012
Current domestic legislation and policies
A range of domestic legislation has been
promulgated relating to destructive fi shing in
Vietnam (see Appendix 2). A decree strictly
forbidding the use of dynamite, poison
(cyanide) and electric fi shing was fi rst made
in 1989 (Chapter II, Article 8 (1) Ordinance
on the protection and development of
aquatic resources 1989). Despite enactment
of this legislation the use of destructive
fishing practises still persisted 9 years later,
particularly in provinces in central Vietnam. In
response to this situation the Prime Minister in
1998 produced a directive “strictly banning the
use of explosives, electric impulses and toxics
to exploit aquatic resources”, also known as
Directive 01 (Directive 01/1998/CT-TTg 2