Bumper fishing trip at the end of the year

(Baonghean.vn) - The 2015 sea season in Hoang Mai town has ended with the joy of Quynh Lap fishermen returning to reunite with their families during the days before Tet, their boats full of fish.

Fishermen, who are the ones who spend the whole year on the sea, besides the joy of welcoming the new year, also have many wishes for a new sea season with favorable weather, favorable winds, and abundant shrimp and fish in the offshore fishing grounds. We went to Lach Con fishing port, Quynh Lap commune, Hoang Mai town to join in the joy of the fishermen on their last sea trip of the year.

Fisherman Le Ba Tuan with the joy of a good anchovy season.

Arriving at Lach Con fishing port, Quynh Lap commune, Hoang Mai town, we were lucky to welcome the last boats of the year. They were offshore fishing boats carrying loads of fish towards their hometown Quynh Lap.

The end-of-year bounty is the holds of ships filled with anchovies, a type of fish that is pure white, has a silvery back, and a body just a little larger than a chopstick. The atmosphere on the fishing boats is very urgent, the crew members pass the fish to each other to bring them ashore.

Captain Nguyen Quoc Ha - Quyet Tien Hamlet, Quynh Lap Commune, Hoang Mai Town said: On this last fishing trip of the year, we went to catch anchovies and anchovies. After three days of fishing, we caught 20 tons, with a total revenue of nearly 200 million VND. After deducting expenses, each worker got 7 to 8 million VND.

It is known that Mr. Ha's ship has 12 workers, fishing for anchovies, often exploiting in the area of ​​Cat Ba and Bach Long Vi islands.

Fish are transferred from the cold storage.

Mr. Truong Van Thuc's boat in Quyet Tien hamlet went out to sea for 2 days but encountered drizzle and the northeast monsoon intensified so he had to turn back. More than 10 workers on his boat managed to bring back 8 tons of anchovies. Mr. Thuc said that compared to the boats that went out to sea one or two days earlier, his boat lost half. But after calculating, after only two days of work, each person earned more than 1 million VND. Because it was the last trip, right after selling all the fish, the crew members focused on cleaning the boat and fishing gear to prepare for the first trip after Tet, on January 4.

Mr. Le Ba Tuan, a member of Mr. Thuc's ship, happily confided: "This year I have been on more than 20 sea trips, the good harvest at the end of the year makes up for the bad harvest at the beginning of the year, the total income for the year is about 60 million. When Tet comes, coming home to reunite with family feels very warm. As fishermen, we only hope that the government will pay attention to investing in machinery and fishing gear to go offshore, both to do business and to protect the sovereignty of the Fatherland."

Anchovies at the wharf cost from 9,000 - 10,000 VND/kg.

On shore, mothers, sisters, fishermen, and fish traders were present, ready to sell fish everywhere. The joy of the last fishing trip of the year spread throughout the fishing port, the atmosphere on the port was as bustling as the central areas of Hoang Mai town on the days before Tet. After being purchased, the fish were processed on the spot through steaming, drying and grilling. In Quynh Lap commune, there are currently 10 facilities for steaming, drying and grilling fish. The daily output of steaming and drying is hundreds of tons of anchovies. The input price of anchovies ranges from 9,000 to 20,000 VND/kg depending on the time. After steaming and drying, the fish costs 50,000 - 60,000 VND. The output market of Quynh Lap anchovies is small-scale export to China and distribution within and outside the province.

Mr. Phan Van Hai - Chairman of the Quynh Lap Commune Fisheries Association said: Quynh Lap Commune has up to 90% of its vessels fishing for anchovies and anchovies. In 2015, the fishery for spotted anchovies had a good season, but the fishery for the main fishery had a bad season. However, in the last moon of the year, the beginning of 2016, the start was very good. Almost all of our boats that went fishing caught a very high yield of anchovies. Hopefully, the industry will be maintained at this time, so that in the new year, fishermen will have a higher income.

Quynh Lap currently has 145 boats, mainly large capacity boats from 300 CV to 1,020 CV or more, currently there are 6 large boats exploiting seafood in the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. The end of the year is the time of the Northern fishing season, all occupations are profitable, reaching an average of nearly 2,200 tons/month, an increase of 200 tons/month compared to the same period. Due to the advantage of large boats and large engines, 100% of the boats and ships are fishing in distant fishing grounds, with abundant fish resources.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai, a fish grilling facility near Lach Con wharf, said: “At the end of the year, there are a lot of anchovies, every day I grill 400 - 500 quintals of fresh fish, bring them to Quynh Luu district for consumption and Thanh Hoa market. Near Tet, people's demand increases, work is busy, making fish all the time but I feel very happy"

The wind blowing from the sea to the mainland in the late afternoon made the cold even more sweet. Dozens of ships had docked, lying side by side, heading towards Lach Con wharf. Somewhere on the wharf, a few houses had decorated with peach blossoms, kumquat trees, and flashing lights to add to the warmth of the days approaching Tet.

Spring is filling the waters of Lach Con, every household and every person is eagerly welcoming the Lunar New Year of Binh Than with joy and excitement. The fishermen's wishes for the new year are favorable weather, calm seas, and plenty of shrimp and fish. For Quynh Lap fishermen, no matter where they are, on their return voyages they are as excited and thrilled as the sea trips near Tet this year.

Nguyen Van