Nghe An fishermen firmly go offshore to cling to the sea

(Baonghean) - Every hour at sea, they have to face big waves, strong winds and many challenges and dangers, but Nghe An fishermen are still steadfast in sticking to the sea, changing their exploitation methods, increasing economic value; while contributing to affirming the sovereignty of the Fatherland at sea.

One day at the end of the year, a wooden boat with an engine capacity of 822 CV owned by Mr. Phan Van Hai in Hop Tien hamlet, Quynh Lap commune (Hoang Mai town) docked at the port with a full load of fish and shrimp. This is one of the "giant" ships that regularly dock at Lach Con port.

Mr. Hai said that the ship is more than 25 meters long and 7.3 meters wide, and was built in early 2017 under the support policy of Decree 67/CP. Since having a large ship with a large engine, he and the sailors on board have felt secure in going far out to sea, exploiting many valuable seafood products.

At the age of 16, Mr. Phan Van Hai and his family sailed the sea on a 40 CV ship to exploit coastal seafood. To be stable in the profession, Mr. Hai invested in upgrading the ship's capacity. Today, he owns two "huge" ships at the same time, worth tens of billions of VND.

Including 1 logistics service ship with 720 CV engine capacity, 1 offshore purse seine fishing ship with 822 CV engine capacity. The new ship built according to Decree 67 has 5 seafood storage compartments, applying new technology in seafood preservation...

Fishing fleets in Nghe An are increasingly being reinforced with large ships and large engines. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Hai confided: This profession of fishing requires large boats and large engines to cope with natural disasters and to catch valuable seafood. Moreover, the sailors and the ship are also "living landmarks" at sea, affirming the sacred sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland. Therefore, on each trip out to sea, we fishermen always affirm that "The sea is home, the fishing grounds are homeland".

With the same mindset, fisherman Le Hoi Duc in Lam Son hamlet, Quynh Lap commune - captain of fishing boat NA98288 TS continuously goes out to sea. Captain Le Hoi Duc shared: "The day I owned a 90 CV boat was truly a "mark" for me. But then, the fishing profession cannot stand still, it is necessary to increase capacity to go out to sea and get rich".

With a passion for business, the couple saved up, borrowed more capital from the bank, and continuously upgraded the capacity of their fishing boats. By 2015, he owned a fishing boat with a capacity of 822 CV, worth 11.1 billion VND. Mr. Duc affirmed: To catch seafood effectively, many factors are needed: familiarity with the fishing grounds, fishing experience... and modern equipment, along with experience accumulated after each trip. Therefore, after returning from offshore trips, Mr. Duc's boat always has a high catch yield.

Captain Phan Van Hai (Quynh Lap commune - Hoang Mai town) controls a fishing boat on a trip to sea. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Chairman of Quynh Lap Commune People's Committee - Mr. Le Ba Van proudly said: The locality has a long-standing seafood exploitation profession, so fishermen here have accumulated a lot of experience at sea. In particular, fishermen in the commune boldly invested in large boats with large engines to go offshore, participating in protecting the sovereignty of the Fatherland's sea and islands. Only counting the ships according to Decree 67/CP whose documents have been approved by the Provincial People's Committee, the commune has 33 ships out of a total of 100 ships in the province. Currently, there are 31 ships according to Decree 67 being built and launched, put into operation.

What is proud is that the whole commune currently has 200 fishing boats, of which 146 are offshore fishing boats. Quynh Lap commune is also the locality with the largest number of boats participating in offshore fishing in the province. Fishermen here mainly exploit seafood by the following occupations: four-pole fishing, purse seine, rough trawl... and logistics services at sea. These are mid- and upper-level fishing occupations with high economic value.

In general, in the province, fishermen have boldly invested in effective seafood fishing equipment. From buying big boats and big machines to go far offshore, seafood output is higher year after year, and economic value has also increased significantly.

According to the Department of Fisheries, the total number of vessels in the province tends to decrease, but the number of large-capacity vessels serving offshore fishing increases every year. Especially after implementing Decree 67 of the Government, with many policies to encourage fisheries development, along with the province's support policies, many fishermen have felt secure staying at sea, increasing the value of seafood.

Bustling fishing wharf at Lach Quen. Photo: Xuan Hoang

According to Mr. Nguyen Chi Luong - Head of the Fisheries Sub-Department: The good news is that currently, in localities, there are many young fishermen with the spirit of learning and perseverance to stick to the sea. Many fishermen build steel-hulled ships worth 17 - 18 billion VND to both exploit aquatic products and serve as fishing logistics ships, promoting their use at sea.

Therefore, the province’s seafood output is increasingly high. Sticking with the seafaring profession has been difficult in the past, and now it also faces many dangers. Each sea trip is like a “battle”, facing the uncertainties of natural disasters and the harassment of foreign forces “looking” at the sacred sea of ​​the Fatherland.

Xuan Hoang