A fleet of fishing boats in a commune in Nghe An province caught nearly 13 billion VND worth of seafood.

One day at the end of March, we were present at Lach Quen fishing port, Quynh Thuan commune (Quynh Luu), when dozens of fishing boats of Quynh Long fishermen arrived. Taking advantage of the new boats' arrival, traders quickly purchased seafood, each car going in and out to load fish onto the trucks to be transported for consumption.

Crew member Nguyen Van Suu on fishing boat NA 914.92, who just returned to shore after 7 days of fishing in the Gulf of Tonkin, said: “This trip, our boat caught more than 10 tons of fish, worth more than 250 million VND. After this trip, we will go to sea 2-3 more times before the main fishing season, and at that time the output and value will be higher.”

Quynh Long fishing boat (Quynh Luu) returns to shore, bringing tons of seafood to the dock. Photo by Viet Hung

For about the past 3 days, fishing boats of Quynh Luu fishermen in general and Quynh Long fishing boats in particular have been returning to shore to sell seafood. Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, a fish trader at the wharf, said: "Since Tet, the purse seine fishing boats in Quynh Long commune have been operating effectively. In the past few days, the boats returning to shore have mainly been silver pomfret, spotted fish, and melon fish... In particular, many boats have earned from 300 to 500 million VND after selling their fish."

The entire Quynh Long commune has 162 vessels with a capacity of nearly 60,000 CV; of which 82 are purse seine vessels for offshore fishing, the rest are gill net vessels for offshore and nearshore fishing. According to statistics from the Quynh Long Commune Fisheries Association, in the first 3 months of the year, the total seafood output reached 3,600 tons; the estimated value reached nearly 13 billion VND (accounting for more than 50% of the total production value of the whole commune).

Of the 82 purse seine vessels, Quynh Long commune has 14 fishing vessels built according to Government Decree 67 with a total capacity of 11,480 CV. All 67 vessels are operating effectively, of which 10 vessels have an income of 7 million VND/person/month or more; the rest have an income of 5 - 7 million VND.

Ships return to port, traders gather to buy seafood. Photo: Viet Hung

Thanks to effective exploitation, the 67 Quynh Long fleet has always paid back the loan capital to the bank according to the signed contract. Typical examples are the boats of fishermen Nguyen Van Minh (Dai Bac village); Tran Ngoc Bien (Dai Hai village); Nguyen Van Tuyen (Thanh Cong village)..

This is the off-season for seafood exploitation, however, local fishermen still stick to the sea and fish successfully. From May to the end of October will be the main exploitation season, so output and value can increase significantly. As in 2019, during the main season, the total exploitation value reached over 25 billion VND/month, especially in October the value reached nearly 60 billion VND, a record high since the purse seine fishery began operating.

Mr. Ho Ngoc Chat - Chairman of Quynh Long Commune Fisheries Association (Quynh Luu)

Many ships prepare ice and food to get ready for the next trip. Photo by Viet Hung

In addition to promoting the exploitation of traditional fishing grounds, recently, over 35 fishing boats in Quynh Long commune have registered and gone to exploit the Hoang Sa sea area, both exploiting seafood and at the same time protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.