The export of hairtail trawling brings huge income in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - From 3 models of gillnets for hairtail fish supported by the National Center for Agricultural and Fisheries Extension in 2011, up to now, fishermen in Quynh Phuong ward (Hoang Mai) have developed this profession into one of the main offshore fishing professions. This is a type of fish with high export value.

Mr. Tran Dang Hung's boat, from the Ai Quoc group, has just docked at Lach Con after a 20-day fishing trip in the common fishing grounds of the Gulf of Tonkin. Mr. Hung's boat has 8 workers, and this trip caught 5 tons of various types of seafood. These include grouper, needlefish, and scad.

Mr. Hung said: "Although the total output was only 500 kg of needlefish, we encountered a large batch of juvenile fish, each weighing around 10 kg, some even weighing 25 kg, so the fishing logistics service ship bought them right in the area where we exploited. With the price of fresh, unfrozen needlefish at 200,000 VND/kg, the remaining fish were brought to Lach Con wharf to sell to traders. The total revenue of the trip was over 200 million VND, after deducting expenses, each worker earned 6 million VND."

Exported yellowtail fish caught by Hoang Mai fishermen

The main season for the gillnet fishing for hairtail fish lasts from April to November of the lunar calendar every year. Hairtail fish live on the bottom, the fishing grounds are 60 - 80 m deep. To participate in the fishery, the vehicle must have a capacity of 90CV or more, and be able to withstand winds of level 6 or 7. Due to the characteristics of this fish species, which lives deep under the mud and sand layers at the bottom, the vehicles must be equipped with fish detectors.

Good season for hairtail fish. Photo VH

When a stream of needlefish is detected through the detector system, the net will be lowered to a length of 35 m and soaked for 2-3 hours before being scooped up and harvested. Fisherman Nguyen Van Long, Phuong Hong block said: "Before there were no gill nets and fish detectors, we fishermen often exploited needlefish by hook. Now, using a fish detector, each trip can catch a few tons of needlefish, which is a great success, its value is equivalent to 3-4 tons of other types of fish. When fishing for needlefish, there are trips where each fisherman earns from 10-15 million VND in just 10 days."

Through the actual production of fishermen, it shows that the advantage of the gillnet fishing for hairtail fish is that it can exploit many different water layers, can be caught in places with sandbars, reefs, and underground rocks where other types of nets cannot operate, and is not destructive.

A giant needlefish caught by Nghe An fishermen. Photo: Archive.

Quynh Phuong ward currently has over 250 trawling vessels, of which 17 are specialized in catching hairtail, the rest are mixed fishing vessels including hairtail, grouper and mullet. The fishing vessels spend an average of 10 to 20 days per trip. The hairtail trawling vessel has a distinct advantage over some other current fishing vessels in that it can be exploited during the lunar week.

According to traditional medicine, hairtail fish has a sweet taste, neutral properties, and is non-toxic. It is used to eliminate toxins, treat leprosy, rheumatism, back pain, tired legs, and disinfect tuberculosis. According to nutritionists, hairtail fish is very nutritious, containing a lot of fat, iron, and vitamin A. Hairtail fish can be processed into many delicious and attractive dishes such as: grilled, fried, steamed, braised with pickled cabbage, cooked in sour soup, cooked in curry, and grilled with lemongrass.

Nguyen Van