Nghe An fishermen brave the waves to stay on the fishing grounds

Quynh Lap fishing port, Quynh Phuong (Hoang Mai town) on a day in mid-August, boats arrived one after another. After the fish and squid were brought to the port, people hurriedly did tasks such as freezing the fish, steaming the fish, and selling the fish.

Despite the hardships, the faces of these coastal people are always cheerful. The seafaring profession faces many difficulties and hardships, but it has brought a fuller and more prosperous life to many fishermen.

Large fishing fleets follow each other out to sea, clinging to the sea.

The person we met was old fisherman Hoang Van Luan in Hong Thai block, Quynh Lap commune (Hoang Mai town). He is one of the fishermen highly appreciated by Quynh Lap Fisheries Association with a lot of experience in seafood exploitation.

Mr. Luan has over 20 years of experience at sea and is respected by fishermen in this area for his ability to catch a lot of seafood on each trip. With his perseverance at sea and his excellent fishing skills, old fisherman Hoang Van Luan is now a steady captain and a millionaire in the fishing village.

Mr. Luan recalls: In the past, like many other families in this coastal area, life was very difficult. The whole family lived in a cramped house, the only means of fishing was a small boat, only enough to pull the net close to shore, the seafood caught was sold for rice to feed the family. At the age of 16, I worked as a crew member, assisting in fishing for a large local ship. A few years later, I became the main worker, firmly taking over the offshore business.

The ship owned by fisherman Hoang Van Luan is registered with license plate NA 96326 TS, 25m long, nearly 7m wide, 829 CV capacity, one of the "giant" ships of the locality. The system of equipment on board for exploitation is quite modern: modern horizontal fish finder, vertical fish finder... and short-range and long-range communication equipment.

“Thanks to the modern equipment system, my ship is operating effectively. Since then, income from sea trips has increased, crew members have jobs and stable income,” Mr. Luan affirmed.

Ship owner Hoang Van Luan in Hong Thai block, Quynh Lap commune repairs fishing boat to prepare to go out to sea.

Fisherman Nguyen Phuc Son in Quyet Tien block, Quynh Phuong ward (Hoang Mai town) is also one of the typical examples in the seafood catching profession. Previously, Mr. Son used a small wooden boat with a capacity of only 90 CV, so his ability to conquer fishing grounds was limited.

Since 2016, with the joint capital of a number of crew members, he built a 230 CV ship, from which the crew members have been enthusiastic and confident in going to sea. On average, each voyage has 12 sailors, staying at sea for 11 days/trip in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Fisherman Son shared: Experience shows that from January to August, catching silver carp, each trip averages 5 tons, with the price of type 1 being 100,000 VND/kg, type 3 being 40,000 VND/kg, each trip earns 250 - 300 million VND, after deducting all expenses, the sailors receive 8 million VND/trip. From August to the end of the year, switching to catching hairtail and squid, the income is not less than catching silver carp. "No matter what kind of fishing, the captain must basically have experience and choose the fishing grounds, judge the tides, fish flows...", Mr. Nguyen Phuc Son confided.

The sea is calm, but sometimes there are fierce waves and winds, so it requires fishermen to unite and work together to catch a lot of seafood. Quynh Long commune (Quynh Luu) is one of the localities that has promoted "solidarity groups" at sea.

Mr. Vu Ngoc Chat - Chairman of Quynh Long Commune Fisheries Association proudly said: The fishing industry here has existed for many generations. Thanks to the accumulation of capital and fishing experience on the fishing grounds, local people boldly built their own boats to start a business. Part of the savings, part of the loans, part of the benefits of the boat building policy under Decree 67/CP... so the fleet of large capacity boats has been upgraded. This shows the fishermen's desire to conquer offshore fishing grounds and get rich from the sea.

The joy of fishermen after each trip with a full hold of fish.

Fishermen's fishing skills have also improved compared to before. Now, they know how to look at the fish run, how to look at the sky, look at the sea surface to predict wind, rain... Thanks to that, fishing output is increasingly effective, the risk rate at sea is reduced to the lowest level. Data from the Quynh Long Commune Fisheries Association shows that in the first 7 months of 2019, the local fishing output reached 17,200 tons of seafood of all kinds.

The district plan for 2019, Quynh Long exploited 27,000 tons, so from now until the end of the year, Quynh Long fishermen have to reach a production of 10,000 tons. In the last months of the year, the sea is often constantly rough due to storms. But with the spirit of solidarity towards the open sea, Quynh Long fishermen believe they will achieve the plan.

Bustling Lach Con fishing port.

For generations of fishermen along the coast of Nghe An, the Gulf of Tonkin has become a close and familiar friend. The homeland sea has permeated their blood, breath, and thoughts, passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, despite having to overcome storms, the fishermen still steadfastly stick to the sea. The strength of solidarity of fishermen, together with the functional forces, creates the longevity of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Nghe An currently has over 3,521 vessels, of which 1,450 have a capacity of over 90 CV. Nghe An fishermen catch seafood by main methods: hooking, trawling, purse seining, and pulling. The main fishing grounds are mainly concentrated in the Gulf of Tonkin. In the first 7 months of 2019, the catch reached over 87,000 tons/plan of 142,000 tons of seafood, with an estimated value of over 1,852 billion VND.