High oil prices, Nghe An fishermen suffer losses after sea trip

Fishermen in Quynh Luu district unload seafood from fishing boats into the port. Photo: Xuan Hoang

These mid-March days,fishermenof large-capacity fishing boats in Hoang Mai town, Quynh Luu district returning to fishing port after a series of days of fishing at sea. Investigation shows that most of the boat owners are unhappy because the seafood caught is anchovy, low value, while the record high oil price pushes up costs, causing most of the boats to lose money.

Just coming from the fishing port to declare the fishing log, old fisherman Tran Xuan Thanh in Quynh Long commune (Quynh Luu) said: His boat has a capacity of 750CV, fishing by purse seine, this trip went for 6 consecutive days, the yield was only 3.5 tons of anchovies and about 1 ton of other fish. Because the value of anchovies is low at 12,000 VND/kg, the total income of this trip was more than 90 million VND. Of which, the cost of 2,500 liters of oil equivalent to 65 million VND, plus ice and other expenses for 6 fishermen, is considered a loss.

"This seasonseafood"The main catch is anchovies, which have low value, while the catch yield is not high, so the income is not enough to cover expenses in this record high oil price condition. Many times I thought about changing my job to tuna fishing, but the capital to invest in fishing gear is high, so I had to give up," old fisherman Tran Xuan Thanh shared.

Most fishing boats returning home during this time are at a loss because fuel costs are too high. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Observing the entire Lach Quen fishing port area shows that most of the seafood caught is anchovy and a little boiled squid and small hairtail fish... Due to low economic value, fishermen do not make a profit, fortunately there are a few boats that achieve outstanding output, so there is little profit.

Old fisherman To Duy Linh in Quynh Nghia commune - owner of a 900CV boat said: His boat catches seafood by 4-pole net using a 200W light system, so it is highly effective. According to the logbook, on this trip, his fishing boat caught 13 tons of various types of fish, including: More than 1 ton of boiled squid, 10 tons of anchovies and 2 tons of needlefish, worth about 280 million VND. The amount of oil consumed in 10 days of fishing at sea is 6,000 liters and after deducting all other expenses, the profit is about 30 million VND.

"The high price of oil has caused a significant increase in costs during the voyage, so although the catch is quite high compared to before, the profit is not much. However, althoughoil prices"If the profession increases, we must stick with it to create jobs for fishermen and make a living," said old fisherman To Duy Linh.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Dong - Manager of Lach Quen fishing port, in mid-March, more than 100 fishing boats arrived at the port after many days of fishing at sea. Through information from the boat owners, it is shown that up to 70% of the boats have low seafood output, commonly from 2 - 6 tons, while the main fish is anchovy, low value, so they are at a loss, only a few boats are profitable.

On this occasion, the seafood caught is mainly anchovies, with low value, while oil prices have increased to a record high, so most fishermen are losing money. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Phan Van Hai - Chairman of the Quynh Lap Commune Fisheries Association said: Due to the high oil price in the first days of March, while this season is difficult to catch, if possible, the value of seafood is also low, so fishermen rarely go to sea, for fear of losses. To find a solution to reduce costs for boats during fishing, the commune's fisheries association has organized many meetings, in which the proposed solution is to establish each group of 4 fishing boats, of which 3 boats specialize in fishing at sea, 1 boat is responsible for transporting seafood for consumption.

Nghe AnThere are currently 3,469 fishing vessels, with a total capacity of 654,224 CV, of which 1,762 are fishing vessels over 12m. The sudden increase in oil prices to the highest level ever has directly affected the economy of fishermen. Therefore, to reduce costs on each trip, fishermen need to apply possible solutions to maintain a stable job./.