Nghe An fishermen hit the jackpot with anchovies

Dozens of ships docked at Quynh Lap Fishing Port with full holds of fish. Photo: Thanh Yen

Early morning, at Quynh Lap fishing port (Hoang Mai town), dozens of ships docked with holds full of fish.Fisherman Nguyen Quoc Quyen - owner of the NA 90196TS ship said that after 5 days at sea, his ship caught 30 tons of anchovies; after deducting the cost for 12 workers, he earned hundreds of millions of dong.

According to Mr. Le Ba Ky - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Hoang Mai town, although anchovies are caught all year round, the main fishing season is from November to April of the following year. The main fishing grounds are in the Bach Long Vy sea area. On average, each trip lasts from 3 to 5 days, fishermen catch 20 to 30 tons of anchovies. Currently, the price of anchovies sold at the wharf is 20,000 VND/kg.

Traders buy anchovies to sell at local markets. Photo: Thanh Yen

During the anchovy fishing season, local processing facilities also operate at full capacity; fresh anchovies are steamed, dried, packaged and exported to China at a price of 40,000 VND/kg. In addition, anchovies are also the main ingredient for producing traditional fish sauce, creating jobs for people in the Hoang Mai coastal area.

According to data from the Economic Department of Hoang Mai town, by the end of October, fishermen in the area had caught nearly 37,000 tons of seafood, reaching 85% of the year's plan; an increase of 3.24% over the same period last year... It is expected that by the end of 2018, about 46,000 tons of seafood of all kinds will be caught, an increase of 4,000 tons compared to the plan.

Dried and steamed anchovies for export have high economic value; currentlyFish steaming workshops operate at full capacity. Photo: Thanh Yen

The reason for the increase in seafood output of Hoang Mai town in the first 10 months of this year is due to the increase in the number of large-capacity fishing boats, along with the fishing experience of fishermen and being equipped with more modern fishing equipment.

Since the beginning of 2018, the whole town has had 15 more ships with engine capacity of over 800 CV; the total number of large-capacity ships in the locality has reached 914, most concentrated in Quynh Lap commune./.