Nghe An fishermen start the first fishing trip of the year

(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of January 31 (the 4th day of Tet), many fishermen in the Quynh Luu sea area (Nghe An) began to go out to sea to start the year with the hope of catching some good luck for the whole year.

Coming to Lach Quen fishing port in Tien Thuy commune on the 4th day of Tet, the atmosphere of seafood fishing is bustling with the activities of fishermen transporting ice, gasoline, and machinery to start the new year's fishing trip.

Quynh Luu fishermen check fishing gear and motorboats before setting out to sea for the New Year.

Captain Ho Van Minh in Phuc Thanh village, Tien Thuy commune said: After celebrating Tet, we chose the 4th day to hold a ceremony to go out to sea to fish. Right now, we are transporting 1,000 more ice cubes... Before the trip, we held a ceremony to worship our ancestors and the sea god, praying for the boat to be full of shrimp and fish.

Fisherman Nguyen Van Manh in Quynh Long commune also chose the 4th day of the Lunar New Year to go fishing. Before setting sail, he and his crew carefully checked the machinery and fishing gear on board. "We believe that a lucky trip to sea at the beginning of the new year will bring good luck for the whole year, so before setting off, the most important thing is to check the machinery and perform a ceremony before starting the engine to go out to sea," Manh shared.

To start the first trip of the year, before returning home for Tet, each vessel is prepared by fishermen with about 3,000 liters of oil, and the machinery is carefully repaired and maintained. By the morning of the 4th day of Tet, they are only waiting for more ice to be transported to the ship's hold before they can go out to sea to catch seafood.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ke, Vice Chairman of Tien Thuy Commune Fisheries Association, said: "According to long-standing experience in seafood fishing, during the Tet holiday, due to the lack of regular exploitation and fishing, there are a lot of shrimp and fish. Therefore, after the Tet holiday, many fishermen do not miss the opportunity at the beginning of the year to hope for a successful trip to sea..."

Fishermen load ice onto the boat for the trip out to sea.

Tien Thuy is one of the communes with a long-standing sea fishing profession in Quynh Luu district, the lives of people here mainly depend on the sea. The whole commune has 320 boats, with a total capacity of nearly 80,000 CV and is one of the communes with the largest number of fishing vessels in Quynh Luu.

Along with the spirit of going out to sea to catch fish at the beginning of the year, fishing logistics services are also in motion. Many gas stations and ice production facilities have opened and are operating continuously to provide fuel for fishing boats.

Quynh Luu district has over 1,279 vessels, of which 695 are offshore fishing vessels over 90CV. Thanks to the construction and upgrading of new vessels and the effective conversion of fishing occupations, the total fishing output in 2016 of the district reached 59-60 thousand tons/year, an increase of nearly 9 thousand tons compared to 2015; revenue reached 1,631 billion VND. In particular, the most effective fishing localities are Quynh Long, Tien Thuy and Son Hai.

The joy of a good fishing season in 2016 is the motivation for fishermen in the Quynh Luu sea area to go to sea at the beginning of the year with the hope of a full hold of shrimp and fish, starting a new year with good luck.

Viet Hung