Nghe An fishermen excitedly go to sea after storm number 3
After Nghe An province issued an official dispatch allowing boats to set sail, local fishermen hurriedly prepared for sea trips after 2 days of avoiding the storm.
On the afternoon of September 8, at Nghi Thuy fishing port (Cua Lo town), the scene was very bustling, fishermen were busy preparing for their trip to sea after days off to avoid storm No. 3.
While preparing the fishing nets, adding ice and fuel for the upcoming 3-day trip with the crew, Nguyen Quyen, a fishing boat crew member in Nghi Thuy, said: “On the evening of September 8, my fleet set sail to fish. The trip is expected to last 3 days. The storm has passed, the sea is calm, and I hope the hold will be full of shrimp and fish so I can earn more income.”
On September 8, after the storm had passed and the weather cleared, fishermen checked their boats, prepared necessary equipment and supplies, and waited for notice from superiors to set sail.
“This season is the peak of storms and rains, so it is necessary to stay at sea to ensure safety. According to forecasts, there will be many more storms from now until the end of the year, so we have to take advantage of favorable weather to ensure income. My fleet will set sail on the evening of September 8 and tomorrow, September 9,” said Mr. Phung Ba Thu, owner of a large-capacity fleet in Nghi Thuy.
Based on his many years of experience at sea, Mr. Thu said that after storms, after periods of rough seas, it is often easy to catch a lot of fish and shrimp, especially valuable seafood, so everyone is eager to go to sea, hoping to win big in terms of output and sell for a high price.
In Cua Lo, there are about 300 fishing boats in the open sea, going out to sea for only a few hours and returning in the same day. Taking advantage of the beautiful sunny weather after the storm, many boats have started fishing.
Mr. Vo Van Tri (50 years old, a fisherman in Nghi Thu ward, Cua Lo town) said: "I leave at 3pm and return at around 8pm. The seafood I catch is fresh squid, crab, and mantis shrimp. When I arrive at the port at that time, I sell it to restaurants or traders. I don't have any income when I stop at sea, so when the storm passes and the weather is favorable, I go out to sea immediately."
After 3 days of anchoring to avoid the storm, on the afternoon of September 8, fishermen in Hoang Mai town were also preparing to set sail. Hundreds of fishermen were transporting food and necessities onto their boats.
Dry food, rice, noodles, drinking water, medicine, personal clothes,... for the long voyage are quickly brought onto the ship by the crew. The ships are being refueled and thoroughly checked by the crew before leaving port.
Mr. Phan Van Hai (Quynh Lap, Hoang Mai Town), owner of the NA91280 fleet, said: “My fleet of ships to avoid the storm includes 6 fishing boats and 1 logistics ship. On the afternoon of September 8, after the Provincial People's Committee issued an official dispatch allowing ships to go out to sea to fish, we are actively transporting ice, pumping oil, collecting nets, fishing gear, food, clean water, and gas cylinders onto the ship, ready for the trip after the storm. The fleet is expected to go out to sea for 4 days, hopefully this trip will bring back many valuable seafood such as hairtail fish, squid, and anchovies.”
At the fishing ports, the atmosphere is busier and more urgent than ever. Fishermen are all excited and eager to go to sea with the hope that seafood resources will be more abundant in the coming days because after a storm, it is easier to catch shrimp and fish than usual.
Major Ho Sy Duc - an officer of Quynh Phuong Border Guard Station is doing procedures for fishing boats to go to sea and said that during this period, the unit welcomed 268 fishing boats to take shelter from the storm. After the storm has passed, the authorities are actively doing procedures and guiding fishermen to leave the port. It is expected that tonight and tomorrow morning, about 400 fishing boats will go to sea at Con Lach estuary.
Owners of local fishing logistics services also create all conditions for fishermen to buy gasoline, ice, and fishing gear on credit, and extend debt repayments for fishermen to facilitate early departure of vessels.
According to information, from the afternoon of September 8, about 70% of local fishing boats are preparing to go to sea and this number will increase in the coming days. Before allowing fishing boats to resume, the local authorities and functional agencies have inspected and reminded boat owners to reinforce and repair damaged parts to ensure safety during fishing.
At this time, Nghe An is entering the peak storm season. According to the latest forecast, there is a possibility of two new storms appearing near the East Sea after super storm No. 3 Yagi.
Therefore, when going offshore, fishermen need to pay special attention to closely monitoring weather reports to take measures to prevent natural disasters. At the same time, when receiving forecasts of upcoming monsoons, heavy rains... they need to quickly return to the mainland to take shelter safely.
Nghe An Provincial People's Committee has just issued urgent Official Dispatch No. 7642/UBND-NN dated September 8, 2024 on allowing ships to go to sea. Accordingly, the Provincial People's Committee has lifted the ban on ships going to sea during storm No. 3, allowing fishermen to go to sea to catch aquatic products and operate at sea from 2:00 p.m. on September 8, 2024. Ship and boat owners must regularly monitor weather forecasts to proactively prevent and promptly handle the worst possible situations, maintain contact with families, commune People's Committees and relevant units.
