Nghe An fishermen: 'If I don't go to sea for a day, I feel impatient'

(Baonghean) - One night of catching shrimp can earn 2 million VND, 5-7 days at sea can earn 8 million VND/person... A fisherman from Quynh Nghia commune, Quynh Luu district confirmed: 'If I don't go to sea for a day, I feel anxious'.

First sea deer of the season

Arriving at Lach Quen wharf, Tien Thuy commune (Quynh Luu) at 6am on April 4, dozens of fishing boats of Manh Son parish anchored and transported seafood to shore. Fisherman Nguyen Van Ho steered the boat close to the wharf, scooping up trays of sea shrimp from the boat in the excitement of a good fishing season. Mr. Ho said that his boat usually leaves the wharf at 6pm and goes out to sea to fish for about 5-8 nautical miles. After 1 night, he collected more than 250kg of sea shrimp, deducting expenses for an income of 2 million VND.

Fishermen of Manh Son parish happily return after a fishing trip. Photo: Viet Hung

Fishermen in Tien Thuy commune often use boats with a capacity of 18 - 24CV for different types of jobs such as catching crabs, mantis shrimp, sea shrimp, shrimp and fish of all kinds... Fisherman Pham Van Hung said: "Because the boats are small, they can only fish about 10 - 20 km from the mainland. Currently, it is the season for shrimp and sea shrimp, next month it will be the season for squid fishing and crab fishing."

The holds of ships full of sea shrimp of the parishioners of Manh Son were quickly purchased by local traders, then distributed to markets, supplying to processing facilities. Right at the wharf, there were also households purchasing fresh seafood to raise in aeration tanks to supply to restaurants.

In January 2017, fishermen in Manh Son parish caught 340 tons of shrimp and more than 1.4 tons of sea shrimp; in February, they caught 200 tons of shrimp and 10 tons of shrimp, bringing in hundreds of millions of dong in revenue. This April alone, fishermen are continuing the season of catching shrimp and sea shrimp, and many boats have switched to crab and squid fishing.

Chart of seafood production and value in the whole province. Graphics: Huu Quan

Not a day away from the sea

Excited about the trip with a full hold of more than 5 tons of fish, including 3 tons of mullet fish weighing over 2kg each and 2 tons of spotted fish, Mr. Uoc - a boat owner said: With the selling price right at the wharf of 50,000 VND/kg for mullet fish, 17,000 VND/kg for spotted fish, my boat earned nearly 200 million VND on this trip. After deducting expenses, each person will get about 8 million VND for 10 days at sea.

In particular, the fishing boat with registration number NA 97688 TS67 was newly built according to Decree 67 of the Government with a value of 13 billion VND by fisherman Ho Ba Dung. On the first offshore trip, Mr. Dung's boat caught 20 tons of seafood, mainly hairtail fish and fresh squid, worth over 300 million VND.

Talking about the tradition of fishing in Quynh Luu district, we must also mention Quynh Long commune. There was a trip within 2 weeks where people caught more than 10 tons of fish. Income from fishing in the first months of 2017 increased, reaching an average of 8 million VND/person/month. Particularly, the purse seine profession reached 10 million VND/person/month.

The average income of the whole Quynh Long commune reached 37 million VND/person/year - among the highest in Quynh Luu district.

Fish arriving at the port are bought by traders on the spot. Photo: Tran Canh Yen

Mr. Tran Quang Ve - Secretary of the Quynh Long Commune Party Committee said: The fishing trips at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, fishermen had big catches. Many fish species that had long been absent have now reappeared such as catfish, sardines, mackerel, and bream... Many trips yielded dozens of tons of fish worth hundreds of millions of dong.

Mr. Ho Suu - a fisherman in Quynh Nghia commune, owner of a fishing boat, is busy preparing for a happy sea trip with his wife and says: "The seafaring profession is really hard, but if we don't go out to sea for a day, we feel anxious."

Fisherman Nguyen Kim Duong in Manh Son parish, Tien Thuy commune has just made the final preparations for a new sea trip. Implementing the shipbuilding program according to Decree 67 of the Government, Mr. Duong boldly registered to build an iron-hulled ship with a capacity of 829CV worth 16 billion VND.

Mr. Duong shared: This ship has been at sea for 9 trips. Compared to when it was a small 165CV nearshore ship, now with a large ship and modern equipment, it helps workers have more leisure time and higher efficiency. Each trip lasts 5-7 days, earning about 250 million VND.

“For generations, for every fisherman, the boat is home, the sea is homeland. Despite the risks, fishermen still go out to sea on long voyages with the belief that they must keep their profession and protect their homeland’s sea and islands” – Fisherman and parishioner Nguyen Kim Duong confided.

PV Group