Dien Chau: Supporting fishermen to invest in staying at sea and expanding their fishing grounds.

(Baonghean.vn) -Thanks to support policies from the province and district, fishermen in Dien Chau have actively invested in building new boats, renovating and upgrading their capacity to stay at sea and venture further offshore…

Fishermen in Dien Ngoc and Dien Chau districts are actively building large-capacity fishing vessels to catch seafood.

After two days at sea, the 90-horsepower boat of Mr. Vu Dinh Tuan's family from Bac Chien Thang hamlet, Dien Bich commune, returned full of fish and shrimp. Mr. Tuan excitedly said: "Since building the new boat, each fishing trip averages 100 million VND." Mr. Nguyen Nam Hai from Hai Nam hamlet, who just built a new 100-horsepower boat costing over 700 million VND, also said: "Previously, with the old 48-horsepower boats, my family's income after each fishing trip was unstable. Now, with the 36 million VND support to build a larger boat for further offshore fishing, my family has increased our catch from a few tons to 15-20 tons of seafood per trip..."


A successful fishing trip for the fishermen of Dien Bich.



The boat docked at Dien Ngoc fishing port.



Fish purchasing at Dien Ngoc fish market.

Currently, Dien Bich is the locality with the highest number of offshore fishing vessels in the district, employing over 1,000 people in the fishing industry. According to Mr. Thach Dinh Nghia, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, along with the province's Resolution 09, at the end of 2012, the District People's Council also issued Resolution No. 10 to support the construction and renovation of vessels with a capacity of 90 horsepower or more, at a rate of 20 million VND per vessel. In the past two years, the number of offshore fishing vessels in the commune has increased significantly. From only a few dozen pairs of large-capacity vessels, the entire commune now has 199 fishing boats, including 62 vessels with a capacity of 90-350 horsepower.

Earlier this year, two households built new large-capacity fishing vessels, eligible for a 20 million VND subsidy under Resolution No. 10 of the District People's Council: Mr. Dang Hieu Nam in Bac Chien Thang hamlet and Mr. Nguyen Van Dung in Hai Dong hamlet, each with a 90 HP engine. The vessel owners are distributed among 12 fishing cooperatives, each with five members. With large-capacity vessels and collaborative fishing operations, fishermen can confidently venture further offshore for extended periods, resulting in high productivity and relatively stable income. After deducting expenses, each offshore fishing trip brings in between several hundred million and one billion VND for the owners. In the first six months of the year, the entire commune caught over 3429 tons of seafood, with a total value exceeding 68 billion VND.

In Dien Ngoc commune, the benefits from seafood exploitation have encouraged local people to actively switch from small to large-capacity vessels. The Dien Ngoc commune Party Committee even issued a specialized resolution on developing the marine economy, shifting from rudimentary inshore fishing to purchasing offshore fishing vessels capable of fishing at depths of 30 meters or more. The commune assigned mass organizations to coordinate and guide boat owners in obtaining tens of billions of dong in loans from the policy bank to help poor households and families with preferential policies invest in purchasing fishing gear and boats. At the same time, they encouraged Dien Ngoc residents working in state agencies or abroad to send money back to invest in the development of the marine economy.



Investing in larger boats and more powerful engines has brought high efficiency in fishing for the people of Dien Ngoc.

With this approach, the entire commune now has over 400 vessels, including nearly 50 ships with a capacity of 90 horsepower, yielding an annual catch of nearly 14,000 tons. According to the commune leaders, the need for repairing, modifying, and upgrading fishing vessels to facilitate the shift from inshore to offshore fishing has created opportunities for the shipbuilding industry to develop. Of the 10 ship repair and construction facilities in the district, Dien Ngoc commune has 9 and Dien Bich commune has 1. On average, these facilities build over 100 new vessels and repair thousands of others annually, providing stable employment and income for hundreds of local and neighboring workers.

Mr. Phan Xuan Vinh, Head of the Agriculture Department of Dien Chau District, said: "Seeing the effectiveness of offshore fishing, and in line with the policy of encouraging fishermen to participate in fisheries cooperatives and fishing associations, at the end of 2012, the District People's Council issued Resolution No. 10, which provides a mechanism to support fishermen in building new or renovating boats with a support level of 20 million VND/boat to expand the fishing area from inshore to offshore. Currently, the entire district has nearly 1,500 fishing vessels at sea, with an annual catch of over 30,000 tons."

In the first seven months of 2013 alone, the total aquatic product output of the entire district reached 19,937 tons, of which the catch output was 17,206 tons… Currently, the district is focusing on directing coastal communes to actively implement support policies according to Resolution No. 10 to encourage fishermen to continue investing in large-capacity vessels so that the marine fisheries industry can develop sustainably.

Khanh Ly