Hoang Mai fishermen hit the jackpot with tuna

(Baonghean.vn) - The fishing fleet of project 67 of Hoang Mai town had a big catch of mackerel, many boats earned nearly 400 million VND after one fishing trip.

On the morning of April 7, at Lach Con wharf, many fishing boats of Hoang Mai Town fishermen docked with a full load of fish, including many types of seafood for export with high value. In particular, the fishing fleet of project 67 had a big catch of mackerel, after each 10-15 day trip, they earned 200-300 million VND, many boats earned nearly 400 million VND.

From Lach Con wharf, we followed a fisherman’s basket boat that specialized in transporting fish from ships to the wharf. About 100 meters away, many fishing boats were lying close together waiting for traders to come and “buy” their goods.

On the wooden boat NA 99997 TS owned by Mr. Phan Van Khuyen in Tan Hai block, the crew members are hurriedly transferring fish from the cold storage to the deck, then continuing to transfer them to basket boats to transport them to shore to sell to traders. Although they have just gone through a long sea trip, on the faces of each fisherman, no one can hide the joy because they have just had a big catch of tuna.

Old fisherman Hoang Duc Phuc in Tan Hai block and fishermen of boat 67 transfer mackerel from the cold storage to shore. Photo: Hoang Van

Mr. Khuyen said: "Previously, I saw people in the North fishing for mackerel with high economic value, but I did not have the capital to build a big boat so I went fishing for catfish 2. Now, thanks to the loan support from Project 67, I have been able to build a big boat, with a capacity of 822 CV with a total value of over 12 billion VND, the family's counterpart capital is 40%, specializing in trawl fishing. The first trip was launched at the end of 2016, each trip earned an average of over 200 million VND. On this particular trip, after going out to sea, the boat encountered wind so it took shelter at Bach Long Vi island. When the wind calmed down, we started fishing for over 500 mackerel within 8 days with a total output of 2.5 tons".

Our conversation with Mr. Khuyen was interrupted when the crew needed his help to move the "giant" fish weighing more than 200 kg onto the deck. After a while of "wrestling", the giant fish was moved from the cold storage to the deck thanks to the help of 3 crew members from the neighboring ship.

Noticing our surprise when we first saw the giant fish, Mr. Khuyen explained: "Sometimes the boat still catches big fish like this, this is an ocean Kim Co fish nearly 3m long and weighing more than 200kg. With the current selling price at the wharf of 60,000 VND/kg, just after docking, the fish was sold for 12 million VND to a trader. The mackerel is currently priced at 140,000 VND/kg, with a total income of 350 million VND, minus 70 million VND in expenses, each part of the fisherman and crew earned nearly 13 million VND.

Joining forces to move "giant" fish onto the boat. Photo: Hoang Van

Right next to Mr. Khuyen's boat is fishing boat NA 90546 of Mr. Truong Cong Tuan, in Tan Hai block, specializing in fishing for Then 2 fish, exploiting fish for export such as catfish, bottle fish... Up to today, after 15 days of exploitation, this is the 3rd time Mr. Tuan has brought the boat to the port to sell fish, including 2 trips to Bach Long Vi island and Cat Ba island with a total output of 6 tons, earning nearly 300 million VND. Each crew member on the boat gets to share more than 10 million VND.

Mr. Hoang Quoc Viet, a crew member on Mr. Tuan's ship, said that since the beginning of the year, every trip has been successful, with income much higher than previous years, so everyone on the ship is very excited. While chatting, Mr. Viet pulled the tarpaulin cover and took out a small tray of seahorses to show us: "It looks like there are only a few, but they sell for 50,000 VND/seahorse, each one here is worth 5-6 million VND. Quynh Phuong fishermen have many jobs, on the ship they always buy 3-4 different fishing nets, when one job doesn't work, they switch to another job, so they always have income."

Not only Mr. Khuyen and Mr. Tuan's ships, since after Tet until now, 12 fishing boats specializing in trawling built under project 67 in Quynh Phuong ward - Hoang Mai town (including 2 iron boats) have all had a big profit after each trip at sea. This makes fishermen very excited, continuing to invest in fishing gear to stay at sea with peace of mind.

The joy of fisherman Hoang Quoc Viet after winning a fortune at sea. Photo: Hoang Van

In Quynh Lap commune, fishing boats mainly from Cat Ba island, Hai Phong and fishing grounds in Quang Binh province often stop at ports near the fishing area to sell fish or transfer them to service ships to import to processing facilities in Quynh Lap commune. Thanks to that, it is possible to rotate more fishing trips, increasing output and value of each trip.

Mr. Le Ba Ky - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Quynh Lap commune added: "Since the beginning of the year, fishermen in Quynh Lap have exploited about 7,000 tons of various types of seafood, with a value of over 100 billion VND. On average, fishermen earn 6.5 million VND per month. In particular, the fishing boat of fisherman Nguyen Van Hoa, Quyet Tam village earned 1.4 billion VND in March, each worker received 43 million VND; the boat of fisherman Tran Xuan Thap in Tan Minh village earned 120 million VND/worker/month"...

Some fishermen caught seahorses of high economic value. Photo by Nguyen Van

In March alone, fishermen in Hoang Mai town exploited 8,000 tons of various types of seafood, with total output in the first quarter reaching over 1,500 tons, worth VND237 billion, reaching 25.11% of the plan, up 5.39% over the same period. Prices of exploited products are quite stable, output is guaranteed, there is no phenomenon of stagnation or inventory. Currently, at the port, exported bottle fish costs VND100,000/kg, red snapper VND40,000/kg, cuttlefish VND40,000/kg, mackerel VND140,000/kg, silver pomfret VND40,000/kg, squid VND160,000/kg...

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Nguyen Van