Nghe An fishermen fishing in the waters of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa

Large fishing fleets follow each other out to sea, clinging to the sea.

Fisherman Pham Hong, owner of fishing boat NA 955886 - TS in hamlet 3, Quynh Nghia commune, said: In addition to the traditional fishing ground of the Gulf of Tonkin, for the past two years, he and his crew have been going to Hoang Sa to catch various kinds of seafood. Despite the difficulties, he always knows how to encourage the crew members on the boat not to be discouraged, determined to stay in the new fishing ground to both develop the economy and be a living milestone contributing to protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Each 15-day trip, his boat catches 5-10 tons of fish and squid, with a total revenue of 300-400 million VND.

Although fishing in far-flung fishing grounds is very difficult for fishermen, the catch is always high. Photo: Hong Dien

Each trip to these faraway places takes more time than going to the Gulf of Tonkin, so during the holidays, fishermen are busy preparing fishing gear and necessities to be ready to go out to sea. Fisherman Nguyen Van Tinh,Tien Thuy commune shared: Up to now, his family's boat has had 8 trips to Hoang Sa to catch seafood. Each trip to the sea costs more than 100 million VND, 30 - 50 million VND higher than going to traditional fishing grounds.

Every time they go out to sea, the ships go in groups, teams, and groups to create solidarity, support, and help each other when exploiting or when encountering natural disasters or disadvantages at sea, so economic efficiency is significantly improved. After 10-15 days of exploitation, his ships return to port, giving each crew member an income of 5-6 million VND.

Quynh Luu district has nearly 1,200 vessels participating in seafood exploitation, of which 450 have a capacity of 400 CV or more, qualified to go offshore to exploit in large sea areas. In 2015, Quynh Luu had only 1 vessel fishing in Hoang Sa, but by 2019, the whole district had 61 vessels participating in fishing in this fishing ground. Identifying this as a potential fishing ground, in recent times, all levels and sectors of Quynh Luu district have increased propaganda and mobilized fishermen to register to exploit in Hoang Sa and Truong Sa.

Fishing boats in Hoang Sa and Truong Sa caught many catches of hairtail fish for export. Photo: Hong Dien

At the same time, to support fishermen at sea, the district has promptly implemented fuel support policies according to State regulations. In addition, the ships are also supported with a long-range communication device with an integrated satellite system worth 28 million VND. From there, it helps fishing vessels communicate and assist each other at sea and especially when detecting strange foreign ships, promptly inform the authorities for handling.

Mr. Bui Xuan Truc - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quynh Luu district said:Up to now, the district has provided 21 billion VND in financial support for the ships according to Decision 48 of the Prime Minister. Currently, the district is continuing to promote the role of the Party Committee, the government, and the grassroots political system to strengthen propaganda and mobilization work so that fishermen can overcome difficulties, steadfastly stick to the sea, and make more long-distance voyages, contributing to affirming the sovereignty of Vietnam's seas and islands.