Nghe An fishermen stick to the sea to supply fresh seafood for the holidays of April 30 and May 1

Lach Van fishing port is busier than usual on holidays. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Fishing ports Lach Van (Dien Chau), Lach Quen (Quynh Luu)... are busier than usual during the April 30 and May 1 holidays due to the high consumption of seafood.

Fisherman Dao Tien Hung in Quynh Thanh hamlet, Dien Bich commune (Dien Chau) excitedly said: His pair of boats set sail 4 days ago, with 8 crew members. At 11:00 am on April 28, the boats returned to port. The total seafood is expected to be 250 kg of fresh squid and about 1 ton of other miscellaneous fish.

The scene of seafood trading is very urgent and busy at Lach Van Fishing Port at noon on April 28. Photo: Xuan Hoang

"On a normal day, the average price of fresh squid is 170,000 VND/kg, but on a holiday like this, the price of squid increases to 200,000 VND/kg; this trip we earned 10 million VND. Tonight we continue to go to sea but not to fish in the open sea but to fish in the open sea for 1 night to return in time to supply seafood to the market" - fisherman Dao Tien Hung said.

At Lach Van Fishing Port, most of the boats are small capacity, mainly fishing in the open sea, returning at night so the seafood is fresh; only a few boats fishing in the open sea dock at the port.

This type of squid costs 200,000 VND/kg during holidays, and only 160,000 - 170,000 VND/kg on normal days. Photo: Xuan Hoang

It is expected that Lach Van Fishing Port will receive over 4 tons of various types of seafood per day, of which about 1/4 is fresh squid. During holidays, seafood such as fresh squid, snails, mantis shrimp, etc. are sold at prices about 20% higher than usual.

Mr. Ngo Xuan Thuy - Head of Lach Van Fishing Port

Arriving at Lach Quen Fishing Port (Quynh Luu) at dawn, dozens of boats with a capacity of 20 CV or more returned to shore with trays of fresh seafood.

Seafood trading scene was also bustling at Lach Quen Fishing Port on the morning of April 28. Photo: Viet Hung

Fisherman Ho Van Tinh said: "During this time, we continuously go out to sea to catch seafood. Because we fish close to shore, we only return overnight. During this season, all boats focus on hunting mantis shrimp, sea shrimp, crabs, sea snails... Each overnight trip, after deducting boat expenses, brings in 2-3 million VND in income."

Mantis shrimp are being purchased heavily by restaurants during this holiday; currently fishermen are selling them for over 200,000 VND/kg. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Quynh Luu district currently has more than 150 inshore fishing boats, concentrated in Tien Thuy and Quynh Nghia communes. The boats mainly operate 7-10 nautical miles from the mainland, so the seafood is always fresh. It is estimated that each day, Quynh Luu's small boats supply over 5 tons of seafood to the market.

Snails are a specialty from the sea, currently priced from 150,000 - 250,000 VND/kg. Photo: Viet Hung

According to research at coastal restaurants in Quynh Luu and Dien Chau districts, during the holidays, seafood prices increased by about 15-20%. Specifically, lobsters cost from 700,000 to 1.2 million VND/kg; crabs and snails cost from 500,000 to 600,000 VND/kg; mantis shrimp costs 250,000 to 350,000 VND/kg; mackerel costs 300,000 VND/kg; squid eggs cost 350,000 VND/kg...