Hundreds of tons of Nghe An's specialty fish 'stuck' at the outlet

Fish farming in offshore cages has been around for decades in the following localities: Nghi Quang, Nghi Thiet (Nghi Loc), Nghi Thuy, Nghi Tan (Cua Lo). Photo: Thanh Phuc

As one of the householdscage fish farmingWith the largest number of fish cages in Nghi Loc - Cua Lo area with 44 fish cages, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hue (Tan Lap 1 hamlet, Nghi Quang commune, Nghi Loc) these days is "restless" when 45 tons of sea bass and red snapper are still lying in the cages.

Mr. Hue said: “The initial capital was about 2 billion, each day we spent about 7-10 million on fish food, pouring in a lot of effort with the hope of making a profit. But this year, the fish are too big and still cannot be sold, the price has dropped by 30-40% but no one is asking to buy, I feel both sorry and impatient.”

It is past harvest time but hundreds of tons of fish from Nghi Loc and Cua Lo fishermen are still stuck in the market, traders are not coming to buy. Photo: Thanh Phuc

According to Mr. Hue, in previous years, his family's 45 tons of fish were sold out within a month. In addition, he also purchased fish from other households to import to tourist areas in the northern and southern provinces. However, this year, thetourist area closed,Restaurants and hotels are "closed due to the epidemic", dozens of tons of family fish are unsold, not knowing who to sell to.

Having been involved in the sea cage fish farming business for 13 years now, according to Mr. Nguyen Van Ninh (Xom Rong, Nghi Thiet, Nghi Loc), this specialty fish has never been as difficult to sell as this year. Mr. Ninh said: “Every year, around this time, all the fish are sold out, preparing for a new batch. This year, the price has dropped but there are no traders coming to buy, only selling “drips” at local markets or transporting them to Vinh city for retail. At this rate, we don’t know when we will be able to sell all 10 tons of fish.”

The longer the harvest time, the more loss due to increased feed costs, and large fish in crowded cages will cause disease. Photo: Thanh Phuc

According to statistics, Nghi Thiet commune has 21 households.sea ​​cage fish farming; Nghi Quang has 17 households raising fish; Cua Lo has over 45 households, mainly raising fish such as: sea bass, red snapper, pomfret and grouper, annual output up to 800 - 1,000 tons of various types of fish. These are specialties, have high economic value, large investment capital and feed costs. Therefore, if they cannot be consumed, people lose a lot of money.

Fish prices have dropped 30-40% compared to previous years but there are no buyers. Photo: Thanh Phuc

The fish are too big to sell, while the daily cost of feed is quite high, so many farmers have to cut down on the amount of feed, only feeding the fish enough to survive. “The longer this drags on, the more losses we will suffer. Every day, 44 fish cages have 2 meals a day, spending up to 10 million VND on feed. But now we have cut it all down, only daring to feed the fish once a day, spending 5 million VND,” said Mr. Hue.

Furthermore, when the fish are ready to be harvested, they cannot be sold, their weight increases, and the cages become cramped, which will lead to disease and fish loss. But the most worrying thing is that when the rainy and stormy season comes, if the fish are not harvested or sold in time, the storms come, and the cages are washed away by the waves, the fishermen face the risk of losing everything.

It is the rainy and stormy season. If they do not harvest and sell in time, the storm will come and the waves will break the cages, and fishermen will face the risk of losing everything. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Currently, localities are trying to find ways to sell fish to people: Mass organizations stand up to connect consumption; advertise fish for sale via Facebook, Zalo; send official dispatches to the Department of Industry and Trade, urban districts in the province to connect consumption... However, with high output, while other types of seafood are also facing common difficulties, the solution to remove the outlet for red snapper and sea bass is still at a standstill./.