Nghe An: Over 36,000 tons of seafood caught in the first 3 months of the year

Lach Quen fishing port, Quynh Luu district every time fishing boats return. Photo: Xuan Hoang

In the first months of the year, fishermen in the provinceNghe Anfacing many difficulties, due to the complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, the distribution channels of aquatic products are affected and disrupted. The prices of input materials and fuels, especially the high price of oil, cause difficulties for operations.seafood exploitationat sea. The situation of fishing labor is often lacking compared to the requirements of ship owners.

The application of science and technology in exploitation is still limited, especially the preservation of aquatic products and reduction of post-harvest losses have not been improved, failing to meet development needs.

Traders collect seafood at a fishing port in Nghe An. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Quynh Lap Commune (Hoang Mai Town) is the locality with the largest number of fishing boats in the province, with 160 boats with a capacity of over 90 CV. However, in the first 3 months of this year, the fishing output decreased compared to the same period last year.

According to Mr. Le Ba Ky - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Quynh Lap commune, in the first 3 months of the year, the local seafood output only reached about 6 thousand tons. Compared to the same period last year, it decreased by about 1 thousand tons. The reason is that the weather in the first 3 months of this year was not favorable, along with that.oil pricehigh, so fishermen go to sea less for fear of loss.

Seafood caught in the first 3 months of this year was mainly anchovy. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Records at fishing ports in Quynh Luu district and Hoang Mai town, the leading localities in seafood catching, show that in the first months of the yearseafoodThe catch is mainly anchovies, which have low value. Most boats have low catches, and many boat owners suffer losses.

According to the Department of Fisheries, as of March 31, 2022, the total seafood output of the province reached 36,389 tons, with an estimated value of about 700 billion VND, only 21.41% of the annual plan, up 2.89% over the same period last year. In addition, the province also caught 1,666 tons of inland seafood.

The province currently has 3,469 fishing vessels, with a total capacity of 654,224 CV, of which 1,762 are fishing vessels over 12m. Nghe An fishermen catch seafood by the following methods: gillnets, grab nets, purse seines, dragnets and fishing. In 2022, Nghe An plans to catch 170,000 tons of seafood./.